Carved In Stone
by cbscifijunky
Summary: Sequel to ‘After End Credits Rolled’. The PtB are at it again: a prophecy, multiple dimensions, imploding worlds, lots o’ mojo, an epic battle, three generations of Slayers. Can the Chosen Two save the world one more time? FB,WK, AD
1. Hell Again

**Title:** Carved in Stone

**By:** CBscifiJUNKY

**Summary:** Sequel to 'After End Credits Rolled'. The PtB are at it again: a prophecy, multiple dimensions, imploding worlds, lots o' mojo, an epic battle, three generations of Slayers. Can the Chosen Two save the world one more time? F/B, W/K, A/D

**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox. OCs are mine.

**Rating:** M – Adult situations, language

**Dedication:** To the reviewers of 'After End Credits Rolled', you're the best. I never would have made it past chapter 5 without you guys! And a very special shout out to Faith-Rulz, Beta-Collaborator extraordinaire.

**A/N 1:** For those of you who think an 8 year old would never say the things this one does, you have obviously never met my niece. CB shakes head and lifts eyes to the Gods

**A/N 2: **In order to minimize confusion and because I realize math is a pain in the ass, here's the run-down on year and everybody's ages (housekeeping I should have done in AECR):

- Our story begins in 2021 - 18 years post 'Chosen', 8 past AECR and counting.

- Buffy/Willow/Faith are 40 - Ok, I re-watched everything, searched the fandom sites, Googled and still found no evidence from Joss-almighty that Faith is younger or older than Buffy, so behold, CB says they are the same age, and now it is so

- Andrew is 39 – from the Tucker's brother references I'm thinking a year younger than the core gang

- Kennedy is 36 - again no real evidence on this, but my feeling is she had to be at least 18 in Season 7 or Willow NEVER would have touched her, also Ken made the comment in 'Show Time' where she tells the other potentials "In fact, the younger, the better. In fact, I'm starting to think it might be too late for me", so I took that as older than them but not by too much;

- Dawn/Vi/Rona/Sophia are 34 - all canon – except Sophia of course ;)

- Emma is 23;

- Nicky is 8 - the aforementioned 8 year old

**A/N 3: **Rather than bore you all with research throughout – sources are as follows:

- Kramer, Samuel Noah, _Sumerian Mythology_, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1961

- wikipedia dot org; pufoin dot com; witchvox dot com; buffyworld dot com; angel dot fcpages dot com; buffyology dot com; crystallinks dot com and cyberspaceorbit dot com

**A/N 4: **Go to my profile for my homepage to see pictures that accompany this fic.

**A/N 5: **WARNING: There is a strong possibility of major character(s) death(s)

**

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Chapter 1: Hell Again**

**THE SANAL HELL DIMESION**

FAITH'S POV

The heat is becoming unbearable; it's so hard to breathe. Sweat slowly drips down my face, or is it blood, not sure anymore. As I pull myself along the dusty ground away from the creature that fucked me up I realize there is only one thing I am absolutely certain of: I'm too fucking old for this shit. Shaking my head, I try to focus. I need to get out of sight and rest. Need to heal, need to get strong, need to find her then keep her safe.

Crawling into a crevice, I allow myself to close my eyes and take a breath. It's cooler here, behind these stones. Taking stock of my condition, I make a check list: broken right leg; three cracked ribs; there's a gash running from my forehead to my collarbone and my shoulder is dislocated _again_, Gods how many times have I done that in my almost 40 years? Wedging my hand between my feet I pull sharply and hear my shoulder pop back into place as I choke the pain down.

Why is it creepy evil things always live in sweltering, oxygen deprived, grimy caves in hell dimensions? Is it written somewhere? Is it in the same moldy tome that states it must be a _virgin_ sacrifice? And why are the virgins always female anyway? Do the Gods only see the fairer sex as a proper sacrifice? I wonder if in all the research Red and the gang has done over the years, they have come across the answers to my questions. Who am I kidding? This is just the way it is.

The PtB have had me hopping dimensions for six years straight. I've only been home a few times and then only when the trail got ice cold. I haven't seen Buffy in over a year. Well, not really, she and I have been meeting up in Slayer dreams. She keeps me up-to-date on everything that's been happening at home. What everyone is up to. Like how Emma decided to go to med school at Case Western Reserve right in Cleveland even though Sophia was trying to get her to go to her alma mater, Northwestern in Chicago. How relived she was when Sara stayed on to help out Ken and Red with the school. And how Andrew and Dawn found yet another way to track demons, those guys are just too much.

It had taken us a couple of years but Andrew had found the third Slayer, a two year old baby, in Toronto, unfortunately so had a group of inter-dimensionary bounty hunters. From what we could piece together, her parents found out about the prophecy and their daughter's part in it. They tried to hide her but, when demons started to cross over into our dimension to find her, they jumped to another one before I could get to them, to explain how we could and would help.

They've been jumping ever since, and I've followed when I could. This is the closest I've ever been and I'm not going to let them jump again before I can talk to her parents. They were smart to come to this heavily guarded hell dimension though. Not many would be crazy enough to follow them here, well except yours truly here. That two headed snake creature is enough to put even some of the most seasoned bounty hunters off. It took me for a ride let me tell you, the fucker. I really just need to rest a little bit, just a few minutes. How did it get this hard?

Those first couple of years after the whole showdown at Mount Ebih it was pretty calm. We all settled into a rhythm: Emma excelled at her studies and training, Dawn and Andrew got married, Ken and Red took over running the school completely, and me and B? Well, we're good, really good. She's full time with the checking up on the girls that needed help and getting the ones already in trouble, out. Sometimes she traveled, sometimes they came to us, regardless, we made it a point to spend as much time together as possible. So I ditched my apartment, moved in, then with Andrew's help, started to piece together how to find the third Slayer.

Two years, man, they were fucking incredible. I was beginning to feel I finally had a life, a real life, not just doing the time. Then we found the third Slayer and I had to go to her, leaving my new-found life, hell my whole world behind. And as I close my eyes, I reach for the memory of her arms around me, the feel of her body next to mine, the smell that is inherently Buffy and the comfort she brings me. For the moment I know I can lose myself in this reminiscence as I slowly slip away from consciousness.

After about an hour, something wakes me. I'm not sure what it is at first. It's sweet, innocent, but probing. It hits me; it's her, the kid; she's reaching out with her mind, trying to see if I'm friend or foe. Of course, they must think I'm a bounty hunter as well. I try opening myself to her to tell her not to be afraid, but she shuts me down almost immediately. Fuck! But I got a read on where she is and I jump up to go to her. Instantly I regret it as my leg crumbles under me, the pain too much to bear.

Taking a deep breath, I rifle through my backpack and find the stash of morphine vials Emma packed for me. They are human, not Slayer doses so it'll wear off in a few hours and no wacky trippy shit either. I still don't like fucking with it though, morphine is serious shit and after the whole Orpheus thing with Angel, I'm not so much into broadening my 'inner mind'. Suddenly wishing Emma was here to do a healing spell instead of having to resort to this; I shake the thought and prep the needle. No time for wishes, there's only time for action. Watching the liquid fill the syringe then tapping the air out, I jab the shot into my leg. Letting the drug course through me, I exhale then get up and make my way to the family that's trying so hard to elude me.

It takes a while, but I find them. The kid is curled up in the corner crying as what must be her Dad cradles, another guess here, her Mom's head in his lap. They're all covered in blood, the mom's I think, and I feel like shit cause if I hadn't stopped to rest this could have been avoided. Slowly I step nearer.

"Don't come any closer," he's trying to calm himself enough to send a spell my way. I can feel he is a very powerful witch.

Backing off, I hold up my hands in as a defensive a posture as I can muster. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, I'm here to help, to protect. The PtB sent me to help you."

"Ha, the Powers the Be," he snickers, "this is all their fault, manipulating bastards." He still hasn't raised his gaze to me. His hands are caressing his wife's head. "And I know exactly who you are."

"I have medical supplies in my pack. Let me help her." I try to slowly inch my way to them.

"No one can help her now, she's dead."

Fuck! I look to the kid then back to him. "Are you two alright?"

He finally looks up at me, taking me in, gauging my appearance as well as my entire essence. "Better than you right now, that's for sure." It seems like he has somewhat accepted my presence.

"Yeah, the snake thing doesn't like gate crashers…" I trail off as I see the two dead bounty hunters behind the kid.

He follows my gaze then looks back at me. "There are two more."

Nodding, I realize there is only one way I will get this man to trust me. I take the pack off my back and toss it to him, "There's food in there too. I'll be back after I take care of it."

Turning to go I hear him murmur, "Be careful, Slayer." Feeling a smile slowly appear, I nod then make my way to the buzzing that will lead me to the bounty hunters.

They are easy to sneak up on, cocky and careless fuckers. I know I'll have to kill them and for a moment I have to bite down the fact I have to take human life. As I get nearer I try to scan their souls and realize, neither of them have one. Mok'tagar demons, of course, they have the ability to easily move from one dimension to another. They can also disguise themselves as other beings, and because of the demon part of me I can recognize them by their lack of a soul. Well, that makes this a hell of a lot easier.

At a full run, I grab one of them, snap his neck then throw his dead body into the other guy, knocking him off balance. He scrambles up and comes at me with a decent kick to the face. I duck out of it and land a solid backhand to his jaw. He stumbles backward then goes for a jump kick. It lands me on my ass. Ok, now I'm pissed.

He spins away drawing a gun from his waist. "It's over Slayer."

I nod to the gun, "Coward."

"Nah, this just evens the odds."

He raises his arm to shoot as I spring forward. My foot hits his chest as the bullet tears though my stomach. We both go down.

Right now I'm thanking the Gods for morphine, cause I don't feel a fucking thing. I jump on him, my knees hold down his arms as I straddle his chest. "You shoot me mother fucker?" Now I'm repeatedly pummeling his face. "You hunt down a family and try to kill a kid?" Not really sure if it's the morphine, the adrenaline, the loss of blood, all three, or something else entirely, but I can't stop.

He's hanging on by a thread, but manages to sneer at me as my hand is cocked to hit him again, "Killing me won't matter, neither will joining The Three. The worlds will not survive and there's _nothing_ you can do about it." He smiles weakly then continues, "You can't change what's carved in stone."

My control leaves me, my anger complete; it's taken me over as I bring my fist down hard into his face again and again. The blood spurts out of his nose and mouth as his last breath escapes his lips. I know he's dead. I know I should stop, but I don't, I can't. It's not until I start to get light-headed that I realize what I'm doing, what I've done, what I've reverted back to.

Wearily, I crawl off him. Looking at the carnage I've caused with my bare, blood-soaked hands, I sit back on my knees and bow my head. How many beings have I killed in the last 25 years? How many gallons of blood have I spilled? Human, vampire, demon; does it really matter anymore? Somewhere along the way I lost myself again; I'm just a tool now, a killing machine. What's the difference if it's the Mayor or the PtB? I laugh, jail time is the difference. 25 to life, yeah that's real fucking funny cause I've done the 25, so can I have a life now? My guess is no.

And, more than anything else, you know what I really want right now? I want to cry. I want to lay my head in Buffy's lap and cry the way only she can, to allow myself that kind of release. I want to bathe in my tears, to feel the pain, the humanity, the sorrow, all of it. But I can't, because I can't feel anything anymore, and that scares me. My soul feels barren, vacant, devoid of emotion. I long for the time when I could feel, when I didn't need the emptiness to survive, but that seems like it was a very long time ago. Sighing, I steel myself and get up. Immediately, I lay a shaky hand against the wall to steady myself as a wave of dizziness hits me. Taking a last look around I realize that right now, I need to be empty like I need the air to breathe. It's the only thing that's keeping me alive.

By the time I get back to the father and child I can barely walk. They both look up at me wide-eyed as I stagger to my pack and grab the med kit. Sitting heavily, I take out the antibacterial wipes and attempt to clean my wounds. From the blood I feel dripping down my back; I'm guessing the bullet when straight through; cool. Whoa, I sway back against the cool rock wall and strain to keep my eyes open. I know I'm fading fast, but I need to stop the bleeding and dress this before I pass out.

"Here, let me." The guy takes the wipe out of my trembling hands and lifts my shirt up. "Your shirt is soaked through, you have another one? If not I can give you..."

"I got another," not thinking I'll be able to lift my arms, I just rip it off me then lean back against the wall. Good thing for sports bras, huh?

He carefully wipes away the blood and holds a compress to my abdomen as the bleeding finally begins to abate. After then cleaning the exit wound on my back, he gets the gauze and tape from the med kit. Taking in the connect-the-dots map of scars in front of him he comments, "Looks like people have an affinity for you stomach."

Not really feeling like having a conversation, I shut him down, "Yeah, sometimes it really sucks to be me." He gets the drift and concentrates on dressing my wound while I regard my two companions. I know the kid will be 8 in a couple of weeks and I'm guessing the father is around Dawn's age, so say 34ish? They cleaned up and changed since I left. They're like mirror images of each other: shoulder length dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, T-shirts, jeans and hiking boots. They could be in a Father-Daughter Hiking Adventure commercial for the Canadian Tourism Board. They just look so, I don't know, healthy, athletic, honest, good-natured. I laugh to myself; why do we Americans seem to have this love affair with our neighbors from the north? It's funny when you think about it.

Looking around their little base camp, I notice the wife is now off to the side, their blood-stained clothes draped over her like a burial shroud. The two bounty hunters are gone. I'm guessing he dragged them off somewhere. That was smart; it was probably freaking the kid out.

The little girl is furtively looking back and forth between me and her Dad, trying to read me without her Dad noticing. I send out a quick _'Not feeling too good right now, but we'll talk tomorrow, ok?'_ She looks a little startled to hear the thoughts I sent her, so I add, _'I'd never hurt you. I just want to keep you and your Dad safe.'_ She looks intently at me and nods then slips into her Scooby Doo sleeping bag and promptly sacks out.

I feel him watching me so I look over to him. He narrows his eyes at me as if deciding weather to say some thing or not, "Thank you."

I wince as the pain starts flooding into me. "You're welcome," I manage through clenched teeth.

"I saw some morphine in your pack. Do you want me to get it?" He asks as he finishes wrapping me up.

Oh yes, I do, I want it desperately, more than I could ever say, "No." I exhale slowly, "I'll probably pass out in a minute anyway."

He furrows his brow not understanding why I would say no, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, can't afford to be too out of it, the snake thing is," I close my eyes and concentrate for a moment – oh man, this is really hard, "sleeping now, but will probably be on the move soon. Need to be ready."

He shakes his head, "Goddess, do you ever stop?"

"Can't afford to now," I level my gaze at his, "but I will once you both are safe at the Cleveland house."

"What makes you so sure we'll go with you?"

I give him my best, 'you gotta be fucking kidding me' stare.

He laughs at himself, "Yeah, so, I'm Martin, and that's Nicola, Nicky."

Nodding, I softly murmur a protection spell.

"You don't have to, I already said one."

Completing my spell I breathe out, "Then we'll be doubly safe. I'm Faith." It feels like I'm in slow motion, as I slide down the wall The last thing I remember is Martin pulling my pack under my head as I close my eyes into oblivion.

_We're at Wolfram and Hart, me, Angel and Gunn. It's right after the whole puppet thing. Man how I wish I was here for that, why is it that no one takes pictures when you need them to, huh? Angel had asked me to meet them here when I got back to the states. So, after helping out a couple of confused Slayers in Paris, I flew to LA._

_This place always creeps me out. Not just the people here but the whole place. It's like I know the whole AI team won't turn evil or nothing, but I just don't trust that the Senior Partners won't try to do something that might..._

"_Time is money, Faith," Gunn is waving his hand over my eyes, "you with us?"_

"_Sorry, dude, jetlag." I strike my pose: leaning on one leg, head coked to the side, arms folded. "So what's the deal? Why did you guys need to see me so bad?"_

_Angel looks at me for a long time then nods to Gunn, "Go ahead Gunn, it was your case."_

"_You're clean now Faith," he smiled smugly._

_I look at him like he's nuts, "What the fuck are you talking about? I know I'm clean! I showered. Has that brain they gave you started to malfunction?"_

_Angel is laughing and Gunn is just shaking his head, "No, Faith," Gunn walks over to me, "I got the State of California to throw out your case. We went over the extenuating circumstances: mainly how the Mayor used his influence to sway your teenage judgment and your role in "rescuing" the survivors of Sunnydale. Although the biggest mitigating factor was the fact that all the crimes you were convicted of were committed when you were a minor. The appellate court ruled to drop your charges with time served, parole is not necessary."_

_My eyes are darting back and forth from Gunn to Angel._

"_You put him up to this?" I don't want to fucking owe anybody anything, even Angel._

_He looks at me, "Actually, I wish I did but I just found out about it a couple of days ago."_

_Narrowing my eyes at him, "I don't believe you."_

"_He's not lying," Gunn approaches me, "I wanted to see what I could do to work it out. We're helping evil beings get off on legal loopholes. So I decided we should help someone that truly deserves it. We need you on this side of prison walls Faith. It benefits the cause as well as keeps you out of trouble: the proverbial 'win-win' situation."_

_Now what the fuck do I say to that? "Oh." Yeah, _that's_ clever, moron. I play it cool even though I'm bursting inside, "Thanks man, that's mighty white of you, brain-boy."_

_He shakes his head and laughs heartily, "You're real funny Faith, real funny." He knows exactly what's going through my mind and every reason why I can't show him how happy I am. He used to be like me, he understands how people like us think._

I miss them. The AI Team meant a lot to me, they trusted me, gave me a chance to prove myself. They gave me my freedom and I let them die alone. I know the PtB forbade me to go to LA, but when did I ever listen? I could have snuck back to LA in time to get them out, fuck. They deserved more from me.

The faint whispering shakes me from my half slumber. Martin and Nicky are up and trying to be quiet so as not to wake me. I slowly get up and lean against the wall. The pain seems to have become one with me. Every inch of my body hurts. Taking a ragged breath I psych myself up: Ok, I can do this, soon we'll be home and I swear I'm staying in bed for a week. "Morning," I mumble wishing for a special Andrew mocha laced with Jack Daniels right about now.

"Hey, feeling better?" Martin asks.

"Yeah," hey, what's a little lie between new friends? I take a couple of snack bars from my pack and pass one to him. Nicky still hasn't said a word to me. "Hungry little one?" I ask.

She looks directly in my eyes, "Kinda."

"Then here," I throw a bar to her without using a tell. Of course she snatches it in mid-air without a glance. I laugh, "Ken is so gonna love you."

"Is that your husband?" She nods to the ring on my left hand, her face showing every ounce of curiosity in her soul.

"Nicky..." Martin says lightly, shaking his head.

I laugh again, "No, Ken is a woman, short for Kennedy. You'll meet her soon."

"Oh, is she your wife?" The apparently incredibly precocious tyke asks not missing a beat.

"Nicky..." Martin's tone is cautioning now.

I laugh again, "No she's not. She's my best friend."

"Oh," she seems to be mollified for a moment then the interrogation continues. "Then is Buffy your wife?"

"Nicky!" Martin has had enough, "It's not polite to ask personal questions, now stop it." He turns to me, "I'm sorry."

"But Dad, she's wearing a wedding band, that makes it public, not private!"

Shaking my head I look at Martin, "Is this kid for real?"

Exasperated, he rolls his eyes, "You have _no_ idea."

I look back at Nicky, "Yeah, she is. How do you know about Buffy?"

"You called out her name when you were sleeping," She says offhandedly. "My Mommy was Daddy's wife."

Shit, the poor kid, "I know; I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to meet her."

Nicky looked at Martin then me, "She told me she was going away, but I didn't believe her, now I do."

"Hey, I know it's hard, I lost my Dad when I was your age, and in a way Mom too. It made me very sad." I glance up to find Martin watching us with tears in his eyes. Turning back to Nicky, I try to change the subject for all of our sakes. "Buffy and Kennedy are very excited to meet you. They've been looking forward to it for quite a few years."

"Are Buffy and Kennedy Slayers too, like us"?

Now I smile, "They're Slayers, but not like you and me. They are very strong though, and very smart. You're going to meet a lot of people who will help you understand and grow your powers."

Intrigued she comes over and sits in her Dad's lap, "Don't all Slayers have powers like you and me?" Her eyes are wide with anticipation of my answer.

I lean over to her and fake-whisper, "Not all of them, only one other girl does, her name is Emma and she's studying to become a doctor." So yeah, I can't keep the 'parental pride' out of my voice. Martin picks up on it right away and gives me a knowing smile

Nicky's face is full of wonder, "Really?"

I nod solemnly, "Really."

"Wow, being a doctor's cool." She looks up at Martin, "Isn't that cool, Dad?"

"Yes, sweetie, it's very cool."

Slowly standing on both feet now to test my leg, I'm amazed, it feels pretty good, not gonna run any marathons, but it'll do for now. "You guys ready to go?" I pull on a sweat shirt, zip it up then swing my pack over my shoulder.

Steadying myself against the wall, I watch them gather their belongings. When they're ready, they nod as they shoulder their own packs.

"Ok," I slowly make my way over to them and take one of each of their hands, "Follow my lead and don't let go." Then we begin the jump back to our dimension.

As the colors fly past us as we tumble through pasts and futures both true to the mark and those that could have been. I look over to Nicky and smile at the wonder in her eyes. Was I ever that young and innocent? Nope, not a chance. Turning to Martin I see he's crying, feeling the loss of his wife as he sees her presence in all his possible paths. I don't know why the PtB are showing them this, but it looks like they need to see it.

As we get closer, it feels like my body is being ripped apart. I probably should have rested another day to allow myself to heal better, but I didn't want to take the chance on more bounty hunters coming. And the Gods only know when that snake thing was going to make a special guest star appearance. At least we'll be on our turf if anything comes after us.

When I open my eyes again we're in the basement triage room. I slide the pack off my back as Buffy sweeps me into her arms, "I felt you getting near." Gods, she feels so good, so warm, it's nice because I'm suddenly very cold. I can barely wrap my arms around her; I'm so tried. Knowing my stomach and back have started bleeding again and my broken leg is throbbing, I will myself to remain vertical.

Ken takes one look at me, then is on the intercom, "Dawn? We need Emma in triage, now."

Slowly, I push my words out, "Guys, this is Martin and the little one there is Nicky," I take a cautious step out of Buffy's embrace being careful to rest all my weight on my good leg. "If you guys haven't guessed, this is Buffy and that's Kennedy over by the intercom." Nods and smiles make their way around the room as I lean harder into Buffy, putting my arm around her shoulders to keep my balance.

"Babe?" She questions, her arm slides down to my waist. Her eyes grow wide as she feels then sees her hand and arm are covered with my blood.

I hear footsteps, running, coming closer as I start to sway. I'm back to slow motion now. Buffy's other hand steadies me as she backpedals us to the exam table. Kennedy starts to make her way over to us as Martin and Nicky watch with twin furrowed brows. Looking over at Buffy, a wave of relief hits me. I can rest now that I'm here with her, really rest, and I'm so very tired. Slowly, I blink but it's only half a blink cause I can't seem to find a way to open my eyes again.

"Babe?!?" It sounds more desperate now, and I feel kinda bad because I don't have the strength to answer her. I don't want to worry anyone, I just want to sleep.

Then I hear a voice, "For Christ-sake, get her on the gurney." It's so clear, so strong, so… and my last thought is - when the hell did she grow up?


	2. Ties

**Chapter 2: Ties**

**BASEMENT TRIAGE ROOM – EARLY APRIL 2021, 4:43 PM**

EMMA'S POV

Buffy and Ken are putting Faith on the exam table as I get closer. Immediately cutting away her clothes I turn to the man, "You, what the fu…" ok wide-eyed child staring at you now, "Um, what happened to her?"

"She was shot by a bounty hunter in the Sanal Dimension. I cleaned and bandaged it last night, but it must have opened again when we came back to this dimension."

As Buffy and I strip her down to her underwear, I notice the kid blanches, turns around and buries her face in her father's stomach. "Daddy she can't die too!" He picks her up as she starts to cry and tries to calm her. Letting my eyes roam over Faith, I shake my head; Jesus Christ, she's a fucking mess.

"What about the rest of her?" I wait for an answer as I inspect the gash running down her head and throat. Ken peels away the blood soaked bandages from her stomach then steps back and grabs my arm to get my attention. I place one hand on the gun shot wound and the other on her neck then chant a spell to help stop the bleeding.

"Shhh baby," He grips his child closer to him, gently smoothing her hair, "There was a creature, a guardian to the hell dimension, a two-headed snake monster. Stacey and I…" he stops, briefly closes his eyes then continues, "um, we charmed it to get past. Faith didn't have that kind of power, so she had to fight it to get in." He takes a deep breath, "She also should have waited for her injuries to heal better before making the dimensional jump, but she wanted all of us here before... well, before someone else died. The stress on her body most likely ruptured any healing that took place last night."

I look up at Buffy for a second and a world of understanding seems to pass between us. So that's what the "die too" was all about, shit. Buffy knows Ken and I will take care of Faith. And as much as she wants to stay here, she realizes she needs to get our new guests out of here so they can start to heal their own wounds. Reaching out with the back of her hand, she gently strokes Faith's face, swallows hard, then turns to them.

"Martin?" Buffy gets his attention, "Why don't you two come upstairs with me and we can talk a little, ok?"

He gulps then nods over to Faith, "Is she going to be alright?"

I look up from Faith's hand where I just started an IV, "She'll be fine, lost a lot of blood, but she'll be ok." I say this as much to Buffy as to him. I can feel the tightness in her chest, the worry giving rise to yet another lump in her throat.

Buffy's mouth is set in a straight line, "I'm going to call Sophia and see if she can take emergency leave. I think we're going to need both of you." She leads them upstairs.

Once they've left, Ken shakes her head, "This is bad, even for Faith." She's holding two compresses to her: one on Faith's stomach the other on her back.

"I know. Let's get the bleeding stopped then see what we can do about a transfusion."

Ken narrows her eyes, "Transfusion? But we can't, the PtB changed her, we can't give her blood."

Taping the IV line down on her hand, I exhale, "I can give her mine."

"Yeah, maybe in theory, same mojo and all, but, Em, we never tried it out."

I look up at her and sigh, "I talked to Andrew about it before Faith left, he said the only way either of us would be able to get a transfusion that would do a damn's worth of good would be from each other."

Smirking Ken shakes her head at me, "Going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing you are already matching blood types?"

"Yeah, funny how that worked out, huh? I'll bet the little girl matches us too." I chuckle to myself as I adjust the speed of the drip. "Let's patch her up then we'll do a pint now and see how she reacts. If I'm up to it in a couple of days…"

Kennedy cuts me off, "A couple of days? Have you lost your mind? I'm no doctor, but I do know regular people need to wait almost 2 months so you should probably wait one, ok 3 weeks at the very least." Taking in the determined look on my face she narrows her eyes at me, "Emma, don't fuck with me on this and do something behind my back. I swear to God I'll kick your ass."

"Ok, ok, let's see what Sophia says and if Willow can help speed up the process." Ken is still giving me the hairy eyeball, but she nods at last. "Come on; get her hooked up to the monitors while I draw a pint for her." I can't help the nervous laughter, "Although this is probably not exactly the type of pint she's wishing for."

**HOPKINS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – 9:43 PM**

DAWN'S POV

I'm amazed she was able to get out here tonight. Talk about things falling into place: when Buffy called she was just finishing her shift at Northwestern Memorial. She always has a packed bag in her office so hopping the 7:30 flight was not a big deal. Having the next three days off was almost too good to be true, so she has plenty of time to call in and ask for an extended leave.

As best buddies go, I'd have to say she's the greatest. Ever since she first arrived in Sunnydale with a small group of Slayers from Spain we hit it off. I helped her with English and she helped me with Latin. Together we managed to tackle so many languages, Giles and Willow were dumbstruck. We were the unofficial official translators of the new Slayer community.

Then through the fight with the first, regrouping in LA, settling here, college years together at Kent State, her deciding to stay quasi-local and go to med-school at Northwestern in Chicago, we've stayed thick as thieves. She's the Assistant Chief of Staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital now. It's an incredibly important and time consuming position so we haven't seen much of each other. But, no matter when we need her expertise, whether it is as a Slayer or a medical mind, she drops everything and comes 'home'. She's just one of those people who always seem to make time for others when they need it.

A dumpy rent-a-cop is swaggering his way over to me and I break from my thoughts to put on a steely face when I see her coming out of the arrivals hall. He follows my gaze and stops in his tracks. Well, if I were so inclined, I'd say she's pretty hot; a real Spanish beauty: 5'7", long brown hair, deep green eyes, olive skin, you know, basically drop dead gorgeous. "Sophia! Over here!" I call out as I slide off the hood of my car; take that, freaking airport police.

A smile that begins to form on her lips slowly creeps to her eyes as she spots me. Coming near, she scoops me up in a huge hug. "God, it's so good to see you," I step back and look at her, "Come on, let's get you home."

She nods, quickly eyeballs the airport security dude, then returns her gaze to me "How's Faith?"

I guide her to the passenger door, "Ok, Emma has her stable."

"Emma? She's not at the hospital? I don't understand, Buffy said it's really bad."

I sigh, then chew on the inside of my lip for a second, "Come on we'll talk in the car." Once we get going I can't help but feel the heavy stare coming from Sophia. "Ok, here's the deal, number one: don't yell at me, I'm just the messenger. Number two: you weren't there for the first go around, so let's just say Faith doesn't do hospitals. Number three: we have everything we need at the house; you'll be impressed with my latest purchases since Emma's gone to med school and asked for half a hospital in supplies. And finally number four: Buffy won't let anyone take Faith out of the house, so all of the other points are kinda moot."

Hearing a heavy sigh escape her lips I glace over and see her shake her head. "Your sister is the most stubborn - "

"You are so not going to get an argument from me there." We both laugh for moment then I take a breath, "Look, Soph, Faith was in a coma for 8 months back when things were bad between them. Then on top of that, there were a lot of 'accidents' that happened to her, when she had that 3 year stint in prison, which landed her in the infirmary, all care of the old Council. She has a lot of really good reasons for not wanting to be in the hospital. We need to respect their wishes on this, ok? So please don't give Buffy a hard time; this is tearing her up as it is."

She nods, "Ok, as long as I'll have everything I need to help her."

"Good. And of course you will also have Emma. Did she tell you she's running a perfect 4.0 for the year?"

Sophia chuckles, "Of course she is; she's my protégé."

**LIVING ROOM – 10:30 PM**

BUFFY'S POV

It's taking every ounce of my control not to run downstairs and see how Faith is. I haven't seen her in over a year and now she's here, hurt, unconscious, and I'm up here trying to have a conversation with this poor man who lost his wife yesterday. God, every time I think our lives can't get any more fucked up, the Gods or the PtB show me how wrong I can be.

It all finally got to the little girl, she's curled up sleeping on his lap; she looks like a little angel. She kinda reminds me of Dawn when she was her age; seems like a million years ago.

Seeing as Martin is basically trapped in his position, Andrew refills his glass. Andrew, Willow, Sara and I dispensed with any formalities and are drinking vodka on the rocks. We need something that's going to dull some senses, quickly. We are just waiting for Dawn to get here with Sophia so we can lock the house down.

As if on cue, the front door opens, "Dawnie?" I ask as I get up.

"Yeah Buff, I'll lock down now." I hear her go to her office.

"Hey," Sophia pokes her head in then strides over to me, "How you holding up?" She pulls me up into a hug.

"I'm fine. Faith on the other hand… Ah, Martin, this is Sophia. Sophia this is Martin and sleeping beauty over there is Nicky."

Sophia reaches out her hand to clasp his, "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Yeah, me too," he returns to his drink.

She turns to me, "I'm going downstairs; what room are you putting me in?" She points to her bag.

"Second floor, next to Emma, go ahead, I'll bring your stuff up." I take her duffle as she quickly walks to the basement with Willow. "Martin, you look pretty beat, want me show you your room?"

"Sure," he scoops Nicky up, "it's been a while since we slept in a real bed." He turns to all of us, "Ah, I don't know how to thank you all." he chokes out then follows Buffy to the stairs.

Sara pipes up, "Hey, I'll bring him Buffy; I'm going up now anyway." She takes Sophia's bag from me. "Go see Faith."

I smile at her, "Oh, ok, thanks Sara, good night everybody."

**BASEMENT TRIAGE ROOM – 11:08 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

For the first time tonight, I really think Faith is going to make it. I hate to say it, but the transfusion made the difference. Emma is catching hell for it right now from Sophia, it's bad: 'taking chances with someone else's life', 'do you think you are above the laws of nature?' 'Did you stop to think you are interfering with the PtB?' Man, once Sophia said that, I grabbed Will's hand, hastily said goodnight and we nearly mowed Buffy down running up the stairs.

"Oh my God, what's wrong?" Buffy looks petrified as she guides us back to the room.

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that, Faith is fine, stable, it's all good. Sophia is reading Emma the riot act, um about procedure and stuff. We just wanted to get out of the line of fire."

"Oh…" Then Buffy looks confused, knowing there's more to the story, "Why is she reading the riot act?"

"YOU HAD NO EVIDENCE THE TRANSFUSION WOULD WORK!" Sophia bellows.

I point to triage, "Pretty much that."

Emma retorts, "ANDREW IS THE BEST SCIENTIFIC MIND ANY OF US HAS EVER MET. HE SAID IT HAD AN 86 CHANCE OF WORKING!"

"AND WHAT ABOUT THE 14?? ARE YOU FORGETTING THAT?"

"NO," she shouts back. "If I didn't do it, she would have died! Then Emma's voice lowers to a normal level, "Sophia. I couldn't let that happen. No, I wouldn't let that happen." Damn, you can hear the weariness in her voice. "It's done now, it worked and Willow thinks she can work a spell to rejuvenate my blood supply enough to give her at least another half pint in a few days. Trust me, this is the only way. You know I would never put anyone's life in danger, _especially_ Faith's."

Sophia pushes out a deep breath as she shakes her head, "Emma…"

"Ok, everybody upstairs." Buffy obviously had enough of this argument. As Emma comes to her, Buff wraps her arms around her and buries her head in Emma's neck. With Faith stable and her adopted daughter in her arms, she finally allows the tears to flow. Her voice cracks as she manages, "Thank you so much."

Emma's resolve betrays her as well as her grip on the blonde tightens, "She's my world too, Buff."

"I know," Buffy nods and pulls away, wiping her face, "I'm going to stay with her, see you tomorrow."

Finally upstairs, Will and I flop down on the couch soon followed by Emma and Sophia. "You two aren't going to scream at each other any more are you?" I'm tired, and really just want to chill.

"No," Emma looks at Sophia and chuckles, "I think we're done." She sits heavily on the other couch and puts her face in her hands. "Or at least I'm done."

Standing behind Emma, Sophia rubs her shoulders, "You ok? You put in a lot of time down there and gave blood, you must be beat."

"I think we could all use some rest." Will looks at Emma, "We'll work on the spell tomorrow while Sophia is checking on Faith, ok? Get some rest tonight." She takes my hand and stands.

"Night guys," I say as I chuckle. It's funny how my girl knows just when we aren't really wanted in the room.

"Night," Emma and Sophia call out together.

EMMA'S POV

Leaning into the massaging hands, I murmur, "If you keep that up I'll love you forever."

Sophia's hands freeze on my shoulders for a moment as she laughs then continues working out the knots in my back, "Hey, what about the boyfriend? Don't you think he'll mind?"

"Nope, the Larry ship sailed. I'm a free agent again." I say casually.

"Get out; he was long term for you! What was it - two, three months? Are you living up to your birthday rites or are you just getting dating pointers from Faith?

I laugh, "Hey, can I help it if I was born in the middle of the ancient Celtic celebration of promiscuity? And as for Faith, she'd actually have to be around to give me pointers." I don't mean to sound as dejected as I do. "But, I can see how it appealed to her: get some and get gone, no muss no fuss."

Sophia gives me a sideways glance; I can almost see her decide to table that comment for the moment. She ventures, "How about a nightcap to help bring on the sandman?"

"Sounds good to me," I lean my head back in her direction, "red good? Cause there's an open bottle on the counter"

"Perfect," she calls from the kitchen.

Coming back in, she hands me a glass and takes a seat next to me. We sit in silence for a while, not really having to say anything to fill the air with sound. There's a comfort level between us, always has been, even when I first got here. Yeah, there was some blind hero-worship when I first got back from Ebih, but it turned into a friendship found in our deep rooted desire to heal people. It's funny, as Slayers it's our first duty to kill, not to save. But seeing as there are so many of us out there now, we have choices the Slayers before Buffy and Faith never had. Although sometimes it seems those two never had many choices either. Or probably more true, the choices they had were never easy ones.

"Hey."

I shake myself out of my thoughts, "Huh? What?"

"Thinking about Larry?" she ventures.

I laugh, "Hell no." Ok, that gets a huge laugh. "He was a loser, it's like I'm in my second year of med school, hello, I'm studying all the time. He was always lurking trying to catch me cheating on him, freak. You have no idea how many times he set off the perimeter alarms. He's lucky Faith wasn't around; she would have done some serious damage to him." I shake my head, "I'm staying single for a while."

Sophia finishes her wine, "Right, I wish I had a dollar for every time you said _that_!"

"But I mean it this time."

"That too!"

Grrrr, "Alright fine, want another glass?" I point to her empty one.

"One more then sleep."

"You got it." I get us a refill then lie on the couch, my head resting in her lap and prop my feet up on the arm of the couch. "Do you mind if I ask what happened with Norberto?" He was her long time boyfriend. They grew up together in Barcelona, their parents were friends, for Christ-sake their grandparents were friends. They still saw each other after she came to the states, hell he even went to college and grad school in Chicago just to be close to her. Everyone expected them to get married, but they never did and last I heard, he just went back to Spain a couple of weeks ago.

She starts to absently play with my hair, "Nothing much to tell, it just wasn't meant to be."

I look up at her, "How can you say that? You guys have been together forever. Something had to happen." I realize what utter stupidity is flowing from my mouth and stop. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if you need to talk..."

She takes a sip of wine then leans her head on the back of the couch. "Nothing in particular happened. We just kinda realized it wasn't going to work. I mean, he's known about me being a Slayer almost from the second it happened and he's always supported me. But it was always a stumbling block between us and it just seemed to grow as we got older."

I turn to take a sip of wine then replace my glass on the coffee table. Leaning back in her lap, not saying a word, I nod, encouraging her to continue.

"Then he asked me if I was ready to give it up so we could get married and start a family." She's looking out the window now and she breathes out a very long sigh. Shaking her head she laughs in a very 'not funny' way, "I always thought I wanted that, you know, to make ties, to have a good man, a family. We planned that life together since we were kids. But as I got older I realized I could never stop being a Slayer," she nods again, "an active one at least." She drains her glass then places it on the end table. "He needed more, he deserved more and I, well, I just couldn't give it to him."

"You deserve to be happy too, you know," I offer.

She looks down at me and narrows her eyes. I can see the conflict there, another sigh, then the decision to proceed. "And then there was always the nagging fear for his safety. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to him because of me. You know? Like an assignment gone wrong or retribution from a vamp or demon; and if we had a family? Jesus, I'd be a wreck if I had children, I'd be so scared some THING would be out there lurking, just waiting to take them away from me. Taking care of myself or you guys is one thing, but innocents?" She shakes her head cutting me off, "And I know other Slayers do it but, it finally came down to 'can I handle this or not' and the answer was not."

Wow. I don't know what to say, so I say nothing. Sophia doesn't need me to say anything though; she just needed to say it all out loud. I can feel her pain swirling around her and I really wish there was something I could do to stop it, but I know there isn't.

She looks down at me, "It's funny, years ago, when everyone here started to hook up I thought, 'Jesus it's nuts to be so incestuous.' But now I see the draw, having the person you're with understand exactly what you're going through, think, feel; it's gotta be a plus."

I sit up and turn to her, "That's true, but you still have to worry about each other all the time, just look at Buffy and Faith. They go through such highs and lows, it can't be healthy." I watch her as she nods in acquiescence. "Buffy has this whole 'I can handle anything' thing going on, but I saw how scared she was of the shape Faith came back in this afternoon. I mean, I love Faith, I know _I_ was terrified she was going to die today, I can't imagine how I would feel if I were _in love_ with her."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. The grass is always greener, huh?"

I smile, "So I've been told. You gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm going to call the hospital tomorrow and see if I can take a few weeks. That way I can be here to help Faith and have some time to get my head together. Staying here always makes me feel better, you guys kinda ground me. This place has become more of a 'home base' than my parents' house."

A broad smile creeps onto my face, "I'm glad you still feel so comfortable here. And I'm really happy you're going to try to stay for while, we like it when you're here too."

"Totally off topic here but Martin seems incredibly drawn to Willow"

I tilt my head to the side, "You picked up on that fast."

"He's a witch too, isn't he? I could feel his power."

Nodding now, "Yeah, me too, his power then his pain. It shot right through my barrier." Furrowing my brow, I realize something, "I think he's trying to make a connection with Will. He must sense her strength and probably trusts her to help protect his daughter more than a houseful of Slayers."

She shakes her head as she reaches over to ruffle my hair, "It's easy to forget you're only 22, kiddo."

"Hey 23 in a couple of weeks, but yeah, I'm an old soul," I laugh. "You know: mythic relation to an ancient goddess, demonic as well as Wiccan powers, all on top of being a Slayer? It kinda ages you." I push her shoulder, "Come on, let's get some sleep." We chuckle again as we shut the lights and make our way upstairs.


	3. While You Were Sleeping

**Chapter 3: While You Were Sleeping**

**BASEMENT TRIAGE ROOM – TWO WEEKS LATER – 6:00 AM**

FAITH'S POV

_It's very bright, almost blinding. I don't need to open my eyes to I know I'm in a white room, much like the one that was at Wolfram and Hart, except there's no panther or freaky little girl. I have no strength, I can barely move but the pain is gone so now I'm wondering if maybe I'm dead. Then I realize I'm alive, lying in bed… and I'm not alone. I feel a hand trail down the side of my face, stopping at my lips where a finger lightly traces their outline. I take a deep breath then thank the Gods for Slayer dreams._

"_Hey, B," I murmur, not wanting to open my eyes for fear of ending this moment._

"_Hi gorgeous," Buffy leans over and I feel the warmth of her breath on my face. She captures my lips with hers and I lose myself in her incredibly sweet kiss. She pulls away as I slowly open my eyes to drink her in. "I wasn't sure you'd wake up, you're still pretty beat up there baby." She smiles at me then nips at my lips again, "I'm glad you did though; I wanted to see you."_

_Slowly wrapping my arms around her, "You're a sight for sore eyes, B."_

"_You really scared me this time," her grip on me tightens._

"_Didn't mean to..." I bury my head into her neck, "I missed you so much." Gods, how can she feel so good? I know this is a dream, well more than a regular dream, a Slayer dream, but a dream still…_

"_Shhh, you're hurt and tired…" she holds my face in her hands, gently rubbing her thumbs across my cheekbones, "relax … don't think…" her eyes search mine and I just want to crawl into the comfort they are offering. She allows her weight to rest against me; "just…" her hair tickles the side of my face as she kisses me again; the sweetness turning into a want we've both been holding down for a very long time._

_Suddenly, every inch of my body is screaming for her. My skin pulses under her touch as her hands caress my face, neck, sliding down my side. Feeling my heart pound with hers, I want... God, no, I need her._

_She pulls away panting, "Sorry," then she smiles that sexy smile I adore, "didn't mean to dream-jump you." She leans back, her head now resting on her hand._

_I pull her on top of me, "Yeah, just you wait till I'm feeling better," Have I mentioned I love feeling the length of her body against mine? "I'll be the one doing the jumping."_

_She's leaning on her elbows now, one hand under each of my shoulders, her thumbs rubbing the base of my neck, "I love you, Faith."_

_Still trying to catch my breath, I see her smiling down on me. "Mmmm, and I love you."_

_She kisses my forehead then rests hers on mine, "You're not empty baby."_

_I close my eyes briefly and swallow, not wanting thoughts of reality to come crashing in, not now, please not yet. "I needed to be to get out of there." I lift my gaze to hers and see the denial of this fact of my life. I sigh as I feel my eyes getting heavy._

"_You don't have to..." She stops herself, shakes her head then rolls us over and pulls my face to her chest, "I'm sorry baby; we can talk about it later. Sleep; you need your strength so you can come back to me. It won't be much longer now, I can feel it." I look to her and try to reply, to explain, to tell her about this past year, to let her know what the Mok'tagar demon said, but she covers my mouth with hers and I melt into her kiss yet again. God, I'm such a sucker for this woman. Pulling back she envelopes me in her arms, bringing me closer into her, "Shhh, tell me later." She kisses my forehead, "Sleep my baby," she whispers._

_My eyes flutter closed as I rest against her and slide into the rhythm of her breathing. And as the gentle lull of the rise and fall of her chest takes me to that peaceful place, I realize I have to stop **trying** to get back and just do it. I need to wake up... like now._

Gradually opening my eyes, I feel rested but still tired, if that makes any sense, oh, and totally jonesing for Buffy; who I happily notice is right beside me, her hand covering mine. She's sleeping on a chair that has been pulled over to the side of the bed; her head nestled in the crook of her arm. The tingling where our hands meet tells me this is actually happening and not an extension of my dream. And sweet Jesus, what a dream! We've had Slayer dreams together before, hell tons of times, but _never_ one like that; that was incredible, damn hot I tell you. I wonder what would have happened if she didn't stop? Could we have, ya know, in the dream? Oh, I have to put that thought on hold right now because I need to squeeze my eyes shut against the blinding pain that is searing through my entire body. "Buffy," I groan out. Then I feel her hand squeeze mine.

"Hey, good morning," she smiles at me; God, how I've missed her smile. "Let me get that for you."

She unfolds herself from the chair and reaches up behind me. I follow her movements with my eyes as she turns a dial on my IV; the pain gradually starts to slip away. Locking eyes with her, I take in every inch of her face; she looks so incredibly tired. "What's in there?" Whoa, is that me? My voice sounds super low and raspy, like I smoked 3 packs of Reds and drank a bottle of Jack.

"Just a little something for the pain," she expertly rolls the dial again and I feel the rush of the drug fade.

"Buffy?" I know she can hear the edge in my voice.

"Ok, it's morphine, you can control how much or how little you want depending on the pain." She smiles again, "or how obstinate you're feeling at the time. I'll show you how it works later ok?" She'll teach me? When did she learn how to do that?

"You gonna go and turn me into a junkie babe?"

Her hand slides from the IV dial to my face, "No way, after the first couple of days Willow, um, 'modified' the chemical structure to make it non-habit forming." She kisses my forehead then pulls her chair closer to the bed, plopping down Indian-style. "You just rest and let your body continue to heal itself. You lost a lot of blood so it's taking longer, and if you're in constant pain, you can't rest, hence the morphine." She takes in my look of concern, "Really, it's not a lot, Faith, just enough to dull the pain." Brushing my hair back from my face her expression softens, "God, I missed you." She takes my hand again.

My own smile turns into a smirk, "Yeah, I kinda gathered from the dream." I wiggled my eyebrows and even though it hurts like a bastard, damn, her full on blush was definitely worth the pain.

"That, I, um, it just kinda," slowly she lifts her eyes up to mine, "I couldn't help myself."

"Yeah?" Very slowly I take my hand from her grasp and trail my fingers down the side of her face. It's been so very long.

She holds my hand to her cheek, leaning into the touch, "Yeah." Bringing it to her lips, she kisses my fingers then places my hand back on the bed. "Let me go get Em and Sophia, they'll kill me if I don't tell them the second you wake up." She rises, stops, then leans over and lightly kisses my lips, "Be right back."

My mind begins to race as it starts making connections: B looks like she hasn't slept in ages, a self-administered (or from the looks of her comfort level with it, a Buffy-administered morphine drip), she said Red spelled the drug after the first couple of days, now Sophia's here, none of these are good signs. "B?"

She turns to me, eyebrows raised.

"How long?"

She tilts her head and gives me a sad smile, "You've been back for two weeks." I know there's more, but that's all she's willing to say right now. My face betrays my shock; I see it reflected in her pained expression. "Let me get them, then we'll do the details, ok?" She squeezes my hand, "I'll be right back."

"K" I lean back into the bed and take in all the gizmos I'm connected to. Dude, I so know what the back of a stereo feels like… again. This was a very close call, too fucking close.

**KITCHEN – 6:24 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

"Sí Mama… sé… sé que usted y Papá muy están decepcionados, pero no deseé... bien."

I hear Sophia speaking in Spanish as I come into the kitchen from the basement stairs and mouth to her 'Faith's awake.'

"Mama, tengo que ahora ir... ningún no todavía... nosotros la pienso voluntad pronto sin embargo... sí, yo diré Buffy...Te amo también Mama adiós."

Narrowing my eyes at her after she hangs up, "Ok, I caught 'we think she will soon' and 'I'll tell Buffy' the rest is a mystery… Ohh and that you were talking to your mom." I grin, very pleased with myself. "Why did you say she wasn't awake yet?"

"Are you kidding me?" Shaking her head she gets up from the kitchen table, "Because if I did, she'd never let me get off the phone and would probably demand to speak with Faith herself. She made quite the impression with my Mom."

"Yeah, it's funny how she has a way with parents isn't it?" I tilt my head to the side, "You ok?"

"You bet, just still handling relationship fallout." She finishes her coffee and puts the cup in the dishwasher.

"Oh, ouch."

"No, it's ok. How's Faith?" She heads for the basement door.

"Good, lucid, hating the morphine but understanding she needs it to rest and heal. Why don't you go ahead down? I'm going to wake up Emma."

Turning back to me she quietly says, "Ok, but do it gently, Nicky's still sleeping with her."

"Yeah, I know." I bow my head, fucking Grimslaw demon, we should have been better prepared, fuck that, I should have realized it wasn't safe for Martin or Nicky to leave the house.

"It's not your fault Buffy, Martin was a powerful witch and Sara was a well trained Slayer. We're just lucky Emma was there or Nicky would be dead too."

"I don't think Nicky feels too lucky after seeing her Dad's heart ripped out of his chest by a massive spider creature; not even a week after she sees her Mom killed by bounty hunters. I'm a fucking idiot, Soph, I never should have let them leave the house." I hold up my hand to stop her protests, "Look at the condition Faith came back in. How could I have been so stupendously moronic to think they were safe here?"

She walks over to me putting a hand on my shoulder, "You didn't tell them to go out - "

"And I didn't tell them to stay either, so guilt by omission. Faith almost died getting them here and I let them walk into a trap within a week? I don't know what I was thinking, but I obviously wasn't thinking." I shrug her hand off my shoulder.

Sophia sighs, "Look Buffy, 20-20 hindsight is all great but you couldn't have known. No one believes that. No one blames you."

Fighting back the tears in my eyes, I turn from her, "Faith will, she would have known, would have been more cautious."

"Buffy..." Sophia pleads for me to listen to her reasoning.

But I just can't listen to her; I walk out and make my way upstairs. Faith will want to see Emma and Emma will kill me if I don't let her know she's finally awake.

Very slowly I open her door to see her very much wide awake; lying on her back, looking out the window, repeatedly running her hand over Nicky's hair. Her new shadow is asleep, curled up in a ball, melded into her side. Emma's lost in thought and I realize I haven't seen that look on her face in many years, since I brought her back from South Africa. She looks a little worried and a lot anxious. No doubt because of the madness of last week and the fact that Nicky refuses to leave her side.

"Em," I whisper.

She looks up at me and smiles, "Hey," she says softly.

"Faith's awake," I continue to whisper.

"Ok, give me a minute." She motions to Nicky.

I nod my understanding. I close her door and make my way back downstairs to Faith. Once I make it to the kitchen, I realize she'll want coffee for sure, then to know what's been going on while she's been out of it. Taking a very deep breath, I pour a couple of cups then head back to her.

**BASEMENT TRIAGE ROOM – 6:52 AM**

SOPHIA'S POV

"So they went to get some air, just a walk around the block. Sara and Emma went with them just in case. And that's when the Grimslaw demon jumped them. Sara shielded Martin, it cut her down in a second, ripped her heart out." Faith is incredibly alert and wanted the run down of the past 2 weeks. I was giving her the reader's digest version as I changed her dressings.

Faith blows out a breath then motions for me to continue.

"Then it killed Martin, the same way, Emma said it was really fast. The only reason Nicky is alive is because Emma was giving her a piggy back ride. Once Sara and Martin were down, Emma, well she said her and Nicky together, telepathically exploded the demon. She can give you more details but she told me it was like their power and anger merged then they channeled it together and 'threw it' at the demon. She said you would understand. They came back looking like they bathed in blood."

"Jesus." Faith put her face in her hands. "How's Nicky?"

"She's holding up." I smile, "She's a spunky kid. But, she won't let Emma out of her sight, except when Em goes to class, then she sits here with you. She's been sleeping with Em too. I think she only feels safe when she's with you two."

Another deep sigh comes from Faith before she looks up at me, "Sara was what – 26? Fuck. How are her parents?"

Kennedy, Willow, Andrew and Dawn all went to Seattle to bring Sara's body home and explain how she died to Sara's family. It was the least we could do. "I talked to Dawn last night, she said they were still pretty much dazed, but coping. I guess all of our families are waiting for that phone call one day, but when it happens, it's still a shock, you know?" Yeah and how would she know? Jesus, I'm such as asshole, all the family she has is here in this house. I make a mental note to kick myself later. "She said they'll be on the red-eye tonight so we'll see them early tomorrow."

She's quiet, lying back with her eyes closed, letting all of it sink in.

Gingerly I continue, "There's one more thing."

"Go ahead, bring it on," Faith mumbles resigned to more bad news.

"Buffy blames herself; she thinks she let you down."

Faith looks up, "Well that doesn't make any sense. How could she have known? I mean Martin, Sara and Emma were all there, it wasn't like the kid had no protection."

"Still, I should have made sure they didn't leave the house." Buffy steps into the room with two cups of coffee in hand.

Faith shakes her head, "B, it's not your fault."

Buffy goes to Faith's side handing her a mug, "We'll talk later." Said in such a way – damn, this conversation is so over.

Not to be dismissed, "Yeah, we will." Faith takes a sip, hands the mug back to Buffy then turns to me, "Now that I'm awake, if I have to stay in bed can it at least be my own? Hanging out in the basement reminds me too much of other 'accommodations' I've had over the years."

I think about it for a moment, "I don't see why not. I guess Emma and I can move everything upstairs."

"Moving already? But can you trust this one to behave?" Emma walks in the doorway as she tilts her head Buffy's way. She stops at the foot of Faith's bed and Nicky peers out from behind her back as Buffy looks at her in confusion. "Don't even Buff, got the vibe from the dream. You're so busted."

Emma smirks, Faith chuckles, Buffy blushes, Nicky is oblivious and I'm starting to put it together, "Don't even tell me…" I narrow my eyes at Faith and Buffy.

"Ah, I, ah," Buffy stammers "nothing happened." Then her brow furrows, "And aren't you supposed to cloaked?"

Emma winks at her, "Hello, I was sleeping, it woke me up."

"What?" Nicky's curiosity is peaked, "Are you talking about things only adults do?"

Emma saves us all, "No, sweetie, we're talking about tickling."

"Well, I think you're talking about sex." Where's that pin that people are always talking about dropping? "Mommy and Daddy told me, sometimes boys marry girls, sometimes boys marry boys and sometimes girls marry girls. So it's ok that Buffy and Faith have sex, they're married." Nicky is quite pleased with herself. The rest of us are all a tad speechless.

Faith laughs, "Come here kid," she waves a hand for Nicky to come closer.

Nicky jumps down from Emma's back and scrambles up onto Faith's bed. Incredibly, she is very mindful of all the tubes and wires. Cuddling up to her, she rests her head on Faith's shoulder. Suddenly she's very solemn, "I was worried you were going to die too. Mommy and Daddy told me they were going to die, but they said you would live. I was starting to think they just told me that to make me feel better when you weren't waking up."

Faith caught Buffy's eyes, then Emma's "It's ok Nicky, I'm sorry I scared you. I was hurt really bad but I'm getting better now." Faith grimaces in pain as Nicky turns and hugs her a little too vehemently.

Nicky pulls back wide-eyed, "Emma and Sophia are going to make you all better." She adds with conspiratorial emphasis, "They told me so."

Faith smiles, such a sweet smile I think I've never seen grace her lips, "Then it must be true, huh kiddo?" As Nicky nods, Faith leans back and closes her eyes.

"Ok, Faith needs some rest now Nicky, why don't you go get some breakfast?" I raise my eyebrows to Emma.

She returns the gaze, understanding completely, "Yeah, I'll make you anything you want."

Nicky smiles enthusiastically as Emma helps her down from the bed. "Pancakes!"

"You got it, hot stuff," Em laughs as she takes her hand. She looks at Faith, "We'll talk later, ok?"

Faith stares at her for a while before answering; only doing so when Emma furrows her brow and tilts her head. The action shakes Faith from her thoughts, "Yeah, sorry, spacing. You know where to find me." She says with a grin that fades as Emma leaves.

As they head upstairs we can hear Nicky say to Emma, "I can stay cloaked when I'm sleeping, my mommy showed me how."

"Really?" Emma's impressed, "That's something you definitely have to teach me."

You can hear the excitement in Nicky's voice when she answers, "You bet I will!"

Buffy reaches over to her, "You ok?"

"God, B, what happened to that quiet 15 year old girl who slammed up against your back when you guys came here from Durban?"

Buffy smiled, "She's become an incredibly strong and responsible 2nd year med school student/Slayer/Witch/Demon/awesome pancake maker... have I forgotten anything, Sophia?"

"Don't forget fiercely loyal friend and all-around great person." I join in the Emma-fest.

My smile wanes as I see Faith look so sad as she murmurs, "I missed so much of her life…"

"Babe, don't…" Buffy takes her hand and I think now is a really good time to help Emma make those pancakes.

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 8:27 PM**

EMMA'S POV

Today was almost normal; well, as normal as my life can possibly be. Sophia and I got Faith settled up here without too much of a fuss. She really just needed the IV hooked up and some extra dressings. I can't begin to describe how I feel now that Faith is awake and healing quickly. It seems so natural to be sitting here on the edge of their bed as she rests back on the headboard, Buffy right by her side. I didn't realize how much I missed this until right now; the three of us, together. It's not something that happens often, but when it does, it makes a lot of other shit we go through worth it.

"So Martin had the sight?" Faith asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, apparently he and his wife wanted Nicky to know as much as possible from them before their time was up, including the fact that their time would be up soon." Watching for their reactions, "I think she may have it too."

"What happened?" Buffy asks.

Lying across the bottom of their bed, I prop my head on my hand, "Last night she said she wanted to get a good night's sleep cause 'Faith's waking up in the morning.'"

"Hmmm," Buffy nods, "Could be coincidence, but it's not like any of us really believe that, right?"

I reach into my back pocket and hand Faith a letter. "Nicky gave this to me to give you. She said Martin told her you should have it after he died."

"Jesus, what that kid has to handle at 8," Buffy shakes her head.

Faith just looked at the letter, "Go ahead, read it."

Unfolding the envelope, I break the seal and remove the letter inside. Fighting the urge to do a quick scan ahead, I take a deep breath and begin reading aloud:

_Dear Faith,_

_While I realize this may sound strange, I want to thank in advance. You see, I knew Stacey would die in that awful place, as I knew you would come and defend us from the remaining bounty hunters. I don't pretend to know all about you, but I do know you sacrificed your life for us and would do it again to protect my daughter. I also know that I won't live long enough to see you wake._

_My sight is not far-reaching, yet I understand you are the Champion of the Powers that Be. My contempt for them is only matched by my respect for them. I was bitter when you and I first met for obvious reasons. We both know how they work and the blame for events should not be laid at their feet. It has been an honor to use the visions they sent me to help others on their road in life._

_As a final gift from the Powers, they've shown me you will raise my child in my place. This last vision from them has indeed been a blessing as I know of no other who will protect, guide and cherish my daughter as you will. In those few hours we spent together, she had taken to you like no one I've ever seen. Perhaps she has the sight as well and knows you are her future; my wife and I often guessed she did._

_The Powers that Be showed me parts of your life and cautioned that because of some events, you would be reluctant to accept this responsibility. Believe me when I tell you there is no error: you are the one who will train her for the coming fight; you are the one who will bring her to adulthood; you are the one who will see her through. I ask you to accept this dead man's plea: love my daughter as you would your own._

_May the Gods be with you,_

_Martin Agosta_

Holy shit! Looking up at them, not believing I got it all out without stopping on numerous occasions, "Guys?" Like a tennis match, my eyes rove from one to the other before resting on Faith, "Does this mean you'll be home now and won't be the Champion anymore? Does that mean I'm the Champion now?" No one answers. "Buffy, what does it mean?"

"It means I'm going to go see the PtB tomorrow." She says matter-of-factly. Faith and I look at her. "What? You are not going there till you absolutely have to," her eyes bore into mine. Then she turns and narrows them at Faith, "and you… don't even think about it. You can't even stand, let alone take a drive."

"But how could I accept such a responsibility? I don't know how to be a parent," Faith whispers.

I wave my hand then point to myself, "Hello, proof here talking, ah, yes you do."

She sighs, "Come on, you were half grown when you got here. And I've also been basically absent for the past 6 years, what kind of a fucking parent does that make me? Buffy raised you Em, not me." She stares at her hands and softly adds, "I had nothing to do with it."

Biting my lip, I level my gaze at her and send her a metal poke that forces her to look up at me. When she does, I slowly shake my head, trying to keep my voice from trembling, "You know that's not true."

Buffy covers Faith's hand with hers, "You're forgetting the vision, Faith, he saw you raising her. This is a done deal."

Faith looks at both of us then leans back. After closing her eyes for a moment, she snaps them open. "Em, get the door."

"Huh?" Then I concentrate and feel her presence too. "Oh." I jump up then quickly open the door and watch as she spills out onto the carpet. "And I'm guessing you have a REALLY good excuse for spying?" I start to laugh as I close the door again.

Ignoring me, Nicky picks herself up and walks directly over to Faith, "You don't want to take care of me?"

"Ah Nick," Faith sighs then pats the space next to her, "Come here." Now she has Buffy on one side, Nicky on the other and me back lying across the foot of the bed. "Of course I want to take care of you. I'm just afraid I'll mess it up and you are far too important to have me mess up your life."

"But you're not going to mess it up. Everyone here is going to help you." She cuddles up closer to Faith, "I know it; because Daddy was right, I have the sight too."

Now Faith lets out a chuckle then looks around at all of us, "Yes, of course you do."

And as right as it felt sitting here, just the three of us, it feels even better now that we're four. I know Faith and Buffy can sense it too, how this was meant to be. We can deal with the prophecy and what the Mok'tagar demon told Faith later. Right now all of us need to heal in our own way. And I have a feeling we're going to do it together.


	4. B and the PtB – Redux

**Chapter 4: B and the PtB – Redux**

**THIRD FLOOR HALLWAY– NEXT MORNING – 7:30 AM**

KENNEDY'S POV

A slow smile creeps to my lips as Will and I watch them sleep from the doorway. Buffy's face is buried in Faith's neck, a protective arm wrapped around her Dark Slayer's waist. This is probably the first time Buff's really slept since Faith got back, and I don't mean two weeks ago. Damn did she need it. Faith looks 1,000 times better than when we left last week: some color in her face and down to only the IV, now that's progress. Hopping the red-eye last night was a bitch, but seeing them both safe and happy right now is totally worth it. I turn to Will and see her own relieved grin. Tilting my head away from their room, Will nods and we retreat to ours.

It was a rough week in Seattle. Sara's parents were great, considering. We helped out as much as possible. Andrew even found a funeral home run by a family of Lister demons – go figure, I guess they got away with the grey skin cause it rains so much there. Regardless of what they look like, they knew exactly how to fix Sara up to make her presentable to her family. The arrangements were beautifully seen to and it was greatly appreciated by her parents. Of course we took care of the bill, but who really cares about money when something like this happens?

We hadn't made this kinda trip in a while. No matter how much I want to say it's because of the training or all we've learned over the years, I know I'm not that naive. In this fight, sometimes our people die. Buffy said it best years ago, 'War is about death, needless, stupid death.' And this war against evil will never end.

Our losses have been remarkably few and far between for quite some time. That's why losing Sara and Martin like that was such a rude awakening. It kinda makes me feel –

"Kennedy?" Willow puts her hand on my arm.

I didn't realize I'm just standing there, in the middle of our room, lost in my thoughts. "Huh?"

She narrows her eye, "You ok? Kinda lost you for minute," she points to the suitcase I still have in my hand.

Dropping my bag I turn to her, "Yeah, just tired and spacing."

"You sure?" I know she doesn't buy it for a second.

Stepping closer, I pull her into a hug, "I have a bad feeling, Will; like we're going to be making more trips like this one. We've been too lucky too long."

Willow runs her hands through my hair then turns my face to hers, "I hate to say it, but from what I've seen of the Prophecy, you're probably not wrong."

Leaning my forehead against hers, I gently sigh, "That's what I'm afraid of: for once in my life I don't want to be right."

She takes my hand and leads me to our bed, "Come on, cat-nap first then we'll regroup with the others, ok?"

Nodding to her, we undress and slip under the covers. I don't realize how tired I am until my head hits the pillow, but I can't shake this foreboding. "Do you feel it at all? Like something's different this time?"

Will snuggles up close, "Yes, I do. But I also know you're worn-out and haven't had time to deal with your own feelings about losing Sara." She looks up and kisses me, "Rest now, we'll talk more later, ok?"

"If it wasn't for the fact that you're right, I'd probably be really irritated with you right now," I pull her into my arms.

My redhead just laughs softy as I allow myself to let sleep finally take me.

**FAITH & BUFFY'S ROOM – 10:00 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

My lips are pressed up against Faith's neck when I wake. It isn't until I kiss that deliciously smooth skin I realize I'm not dreaming and she's actually sleeping beside me. I try to move but her arm reflexively pulls me into her, and now moving seems to be the furthest thing on my mind.

One year! It's been more than that to be honest; over one year since I've woken up next to her, since I've felt her arms around me, since we kissed, since we made love. Gods how I've missed her, I don't know if I can handle another separation that long. Trailing my finger down the side of her face I notice how tired she still looks. The woman has slept for weeks but she still looked exhausted.

I'm really not looking forward to leaving her for a couple of hours to see the Powers. They still kinda freak me out. But I know we need answers and if I don't go, Faith will drag herself there. I chuckle to myself at the picture of just that in my head.

"What's so funny?" She murmurs.

Smiling, I lift my head, "Good morning gorgeous." Controlling the burning desire to ravage her, I lightly kiss her lips.

"I don't feel so gorgeous. And if you're gonna kiss me like I'm your sister, then I must have lost something in my travels." She peers up at me, her trademark smirk growing.

Swooping down to give her a slightly less chaste kiss I offer, "Yeah, well, we'll see about anything more than that once the Love-Gestapo has given you a clean bill of health." Propping my head on my hand I search her eyes, "How do you feel?"

"A lot better than yesterday," she closes her eyes and stretches. My other hand that's resting on her stomach takes a little trip to her chest as her tank top rides up. My eyes roll back then close. God, she's trying to kill me here. Her hand snags the IV line and she's caught up in it, "Fuck, I'm stuck".

I lean over her and untangle the line, "Maybe Emma can take this out today." Sliding out of bed, I turn back to her, "You hungry?"

Faith looks me up and down, "Hell, yeah."

"Stop it; you're going to get us in trouble." Laughing, I walk over to the door, although away from her is not really where I want to be, "Sophia said you can start out with a light breakfast, so scrambled eggs and toast, ok?"

Faith looks at me for a long moment, just taking me in as I had done to her when she was sleeping. "I missed you so much."

I race back to her side and sit on the edge of the bed next to her. "You're not allowed to be gone so long again, ok?" Taking her head in my hands, I bend down and brush my lips over hers, taking in the feel of her mouth melting against mine. I start to feel my heart pound in my ears. It takes all my strength to pull away.

A little out of breath she looks up at me and smiles, "Ok."

"Good," I caress her cheek then get up again, "I'll be right back with breakfast and coffee."

As I make my way downstairs I realize how quiet it is; shouldn't classes be on? Then it dawns on me that I have no clue what day it is. Shaking my head, I open the swinging door to the kitchen to find, well, basically everyone around the table having breakfast.

"Buffy," Dawn jumps up and gives me a hug. "How's Faith? We wanted you two to sleep in so we were keeping it quiet here in the kitchen. Is she ok? Is she hungry cause there's plenty already made - "

"Whoa, down girl," I laugh, "She's ok, still beat, but hungry, I'm taking it as a good sign, right Sophia? I'm just gonna whip up some eggs, toast, coffee." I look over to onsite doctor.

Sophia purses her lips, "I don't know about the coffee, but I know Faith's an addict, so it's not like you're going to listen to me anyway. But you should give her some juice too. After she has breakfast and lunch, we'll see about taking out the IV."

I blow out a sigh of relief, "That would make her very happy." I take the eggs out of the fridge and start breaking them open into a mixing bowl. While I'm beating them I turn back to everyone. "I know this is going to sound really stupid, but what day is it? I kinda lost track."

Nicky giggles then leans into Emma for protection seeing me turn to her and lift my eyebrow. She peeks out again with a small smile when she hears me chuckling.

Will smiles, "It's Sunday Buff. Emma and Sophia were just filling us in on all the haps."

"Oh, so that's why it's so quiet." I butter the pan and pour in the eggs. "When did you guys get in? I didn't hear anything."

Ken gets up, pops a couple of slices of bread in the toaster oven then leans against the counter, "About 7:30, we looked in on you guys, you were out cold."

"Yeah, we totally passed out last night, found new meaning to the word 'beat'."

Dawn leaned back into Andrew, "And that's why we were letting you sleep in. Emma said you're going to see the PtB today. You want me to go with you?"

"I'm taking her," Emma speaks up firmly ending any discussion on the matter. Everyone looks at her then me. "Don't even, Buff, you're not going alone, I'll wait in the car."

Nodding at Em, "Yeah, it's actually a good idea. No offense Dawn, but I don't think any of us should be running around for a while without backup."

"None, taken," Dawn sips at her coffee, "I completely understand."

Ken turns to me, "I'll take the ride too. That way I can keep Em company while we wait for you to come out."

"Sounds like a plan, we'll go after lunch." Ladling the eggs into a big plate I grab the toast, butter it then turn to Emma and Nicky, "Come on you two, you're on beverage patrol, Emma can you get the coffee? And Nicky, you can manage two glasses of juice, right?"

They jump up and see to their duties as I get big smiles from the rest of our little group. "What, what'd I do?"

Andrew shakes his head, "Nothing Buffy, I guess it's funny, you know," he waves his hand between Emma, Nicky and me, "Like this is how it's always been."

I look at the girls busy at their tasks then back to the faces of my friends, no, my family, sitting at the table, "Yeah, it's nice, isn't it? If it could only stay this way..."

**INTERSTATE 271 SOUTH, EXIT 19 – 2:45 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

"You're kidding me with this neighborhood, right? The fucking PtB couldn't afford better that this?" I look around for a spot, then find one a few doors down from the beat up abandon house Buffy picks out as the one.

Buff laughs, "I asked Faith the same thing, and actually that is the reason. They don't have access to money. She said because they're incorporeal, they can easily 'haunt' a house and people will stay away. So all we have to worry about are the crack heads." She takes a deep breath then turns to us, "I don't know how long I'll be but if anything happens just call my cell and I'll come out."

Ok, she looks really stressed out. "You ok, Buff?"

"Yeah, yeah," she pats my hand, "they just freak me out, always have. Knowing them, I won't be long." She gets out of the back seat and closes the door. We watch her disappear into the dilapidated building then begin our vigil.

I look over at Em, "Do you have a bad feeling about this too, or is it just me."

She meets my gaze then nods slowly.

Sighing loudly, I rest my head back and close my eyes. The nap this morning did some good, but I feel like I haven't slept in ages, maybe because I can't seem to anymore. "Tell me about Nicky. How's she been this past week?"

Emma looks up at me, "Amazingly well actually. She said her parents told her when and how they were going to die. So as soon as she got over the initial shock, she pretty much was ok. Although she sticks to me like glue, me or Faith."

I think for a minute, "How is she with Buffy?"

"A little guarded, but she's that way with Sophia too. I'm guessing it's cause of the hybrid thing going on. And Buffy, well, kinda looks like her mom." Catching my wide-eyed look, "She really does, Nicky showed me a picture."

"Shit."

"Yeah, Buff is trying to hang back and let Nicky come to her."

I nod, "Sounds like a good idea."

"There's one other thing, she's also kinda clairvoyant."

"Kinda?" I laugh, "Like kinda pregnant?"

She joins me, "Yeah, well, she's going to need to spend time with Willow once things settle down. She's got the mojo from her Dad, and Martin was incredibly powerful. He put her through a pseudo training schedule while they were on the run. But he didn't know how to focus the Slayer part of her. So I guess she'll need plenty of time with you too. And if you thought I was precocious, let me tell you, you ain't seen nothing till you talk to her."

Opening the door, I tilt my head for her to come outside with me. We lean up against the car and stare down the crack heads starting to venture our way. After seeing our body language they shrink back to the shadows. "What about her mom? Was she an Empath demon like yours?"

"Yeah, she really knows how to cloak; being on the run, it had to be a necessity." Turning to me she continues, "You know, it's really weird that her parents and mine were both killed when we were 8. Do you know when Faith's parents died? I know she was young, but she never talks about it. I think it's another connection."

Shaking my head, "We don't talk about her childhood. There's like a big 'STOP' sign there so I never bring it up."

Emma jumps up on the hood of my car, swinging her legs back and forth. She's probably thinking about how to ask Faith about her parents. Yeah, well good luck with that.

"Em?"

She turns to me, "Uh-huh?"

"Are you scared?"

She looks back down at her feet, "You mean scared that Buffy is going to come out of there and tell me it's time for me to be the PtB's Champion?"

"Yeah."

Sighing, she looks over to me, "It's not like I didn't know it was coming. I made a deal and I know there's no going back on it. I talked to Faith about it whenever she was here, you know, trying to prepare. So I don't think scared is the right word." She's quiet for a moment, returning her gaze to the ground. "Tell you one thing; I'll be really disappointed if I don't finish med school. That would suck."

I can't help but roll my eyes and laugh, "God, you are _such_ a geek. The only thing you're worried about is school?"

"I am _not_ a geek!" She counters indignantly then stops to think about what she just said. Emma bites the side of her lip, "Alright, maybe I'm a little geeky." She cagily looks back at me, "But geeks are cool; Willow, Dawn and Andrew are all geeks."

"Yeah, yeah, and Sophia too; I'm freaking surrounded by you guys. Thank God Faith's back, Buffy and I can't hack it alone anymore." I deadpan, but I can't help the smile.

"Oh, you," she punches me in the arm and we erupt into hysterics.

When I lift my head, I see Buffy striding towards us. Damn it, she's been crying, this can't be good. Emma sees her too now and slides off the car as Buffy wraps her arms around her neck. Em returns the hug, allowing Buffy to sob quietly into her. Fuck.

Buffy steps back and wipes her tears as a smile crosses her lips. Looking up, she takes Emma's face in her hands, "It's not what you think, honey. Come on; let's go home, we need to talk to Faith." She opens the back door and slides in, "And when did you get so tall?"

Ah, the plight of the vertically challenged...

**FAITH & BUFFY'S ROOM – 2:45 PM**

FAITH'S POV

"These are his notebooks." Nicky hands her father's marble composition books over to me. Damn, people still use these? I thought I was the only throw-back who actually still _wrote_ words with pen and paper. I thumb through them, shaking my head.

Looking up I catch Red's eye, she comes over and takes them, "Willow here is going to read through them. She'll give them back to you once she's done, ok?"

Nicky nods, "Ok."

Red sits back down and holds them in her lap. She wants to talk, I can feel it. "Hey Nicky?"

"Yeah?"

I tilt my head over to Andrew and Dawn, "Why don't you let these guys show you how we know where all the Slayers are?"

Her eyes get wide then she turns to them, "You know where everybody is, like in the whole word?"

Dawn smiles as she nods, "In this world yes."

"But we're working on others." Andrew adds.

"Really? Wow." The kid is impressed. But her brow furrows as she realizes she'll be alone with them.

Needing to reassure her, "Nick, you're safe here. Andrew made this house a fortress; nothing can come in that we don't want in, ok? I'll be right here. Red and I just want to talk alone; we haven't seen each other for a long while."

Steeling herself, she takes a deep breath then follows them downstairs to their office. Damn, she's such a little trooper.

"Feel like talking about the Prophecy?" Red ventures unenthusiastically.

"Not so much."

"Good, neither do I." She pulls her chair closer to me, "How are you feeling, Faith?"

I lean back against the headboard, "Really fucking tired, Red."

"It's been a long, hard year."

"It's been a long, hard life."

Will cocks her head to the side, "Yeah, that too." She regards me for a moment then sighs, "Ever feel like ditching it all and jumping to another dimension where no one ever heard of vampires or demons or prophecies? Finding a place where we could just be us, and live without the weight of the world on our shoulders."

"Only every day, but I know I won't."

She nods solemnly, "Me too." She sighs again, "It's all because of the spell you know, the one I did in Sunnydale."

"What do you mean?"

"None of us should have lived this long. No one knows how to handle pressure like this: the constant danger; the constant death; the stress on our families, friendships, lovers; Goddess, even the power gets too much sometimes. Buffy's been flying all over the world trying to keep the Slayers sane." She stops then glances out the window. "A lot of them are asking to have their powers taken away."

"Jesus, you're shitting me." I can't believe it. There's no way I could imagine not being a Slayer. As tired of this shit as I am, it's a part of me as much as my legs are.

"Andrew perfected the drug used by the old council for the Cruciamentum. You know what that means in Latin, by the way? Torment. The old bastards, the only good the First did was blowing those fuckers up."

It's been a while since I heard a Willow-babble-athon. I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, ok, calming down now, anyway, the drug is a combo muscle relaxant/adrenal suppressor that, used along with a spell I worked out with the Coven, removes all traces of a Slayer's power, permanently."

"Holy shit," still reeling, a thought comes to me, "When did this start happening?"

Red leaned forward, "Faith, please don't get angry, Buffy didn't want you to worry, you kinda had enough going on you know?"

"When, Red," I try to say it with the most patience I can muster.

She pushes out a breath, "It's been a few years, at first it was just the sleepers, they couldn't deal and wanted out. But more and more, the active ones are calling in to talk over options with her. You know, weighing the pros and cons. Kristen's been helping the last couple of years."

I rubbed my forehead knowing it was ringing a bell somewhere, "Wait, the Swiss girl Buffy talked-down from a freak out right before Christmas when I first came back?"

"That's the one," Red laughs for a second then looks at me before plowing right on. "The two of them have had their hands full. We've lost a little over 200 so far. Kennedy and Buffy are trying to figure out a way to help them cope, but it's hard, cause sometimes, well, we don't cope so well ourselves, you know? Bottom line is there just aren't enough Watchers to help them accept who and what they are."

"Fuck, Willow, someone should have told me."

She gets up and walks over to the window. Turning back to me, she asks wearily, "And what would you have done Faith? Really, what _could _you have done? You weren't even in the same fucking dimension."

Rising up in bed, "That's not my fault. I had to find Nicky!"

She smiles at me and returns to her chair, calmly stating "I know; that's why Buffy said not to tell you."

"GOD DAMN IT!" Completely frustrated because I know she's right, that Buffy was right not to tell me, I slam the back of my head against the headboard. "Oh...ouch."

Red jumps up and leans over me inspecting my head, "Shit Faith, Buffy and Sophia are going to line up to kick my ass if you hurt yourself. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I sigh dejectedly, "it's just... sometimes it feels like no matter what I do, I feel like it's never enough, like I'm running in quicksand."

She sits again, "You can't be everywhere or do everything, I tell that to Ken all the time."

Holding her gaze I feel my walls slowly slip down, "I know; I just wish I wasn't torn in so many directions. I'm so tired Willow: of running from one place to the next, of not spending any time at home, of missing out on everybody's life, hell, my life. I just don't think I can do it anymore."

"You won't have to baby." Buffy is leaning against the door frame with Emma and Nicky beside her. "Wills, can you excuse us for a minute? We need to talk to Faith."


	5. Prophecy over Pasta

**Chapter 5: Prophecy over Pasta**

**KITCHEN – LATER THAT EVENING – 7:10 PM**

ANDREW'S POV

Now that Faith is finally feeling better, the IV is removed and she has reacquainted himself with solid food, I decide it's time for her favorite meal: Seafood Fra Diavolo over capellini... yeah, ok, so it's one of my favorites too.

After Buffy came back from the PtB, I went to the fish store, Sophia came too; Buffy insisted and Sophia readily agreed. Although I think it was completely unnecessary, it's kinda nice having a body guard. Come on, really, who would be after me? I'm just the man behind the curtain, not a real player like the ladies of the house. It's funny, sometimes I feel like a "kept" man, surrounded by a house full of bright and powerful women. I guess there are worse things in life, huh?

So now, Dawn is de-veining the shrimp, Sophia is de-bearding the mussels and I'm cleaning the scallops. And you know, it's nice to have people you can cook with. Many don't understand cooking is a mixture of art, precision and compromise: it's the epitome of multitasking. And when you can share a kitchen with more than one other cook, what ensues is nothing less than a well choreographed dance. It may sound silly, but when you're cooking for 9, it makes all the difference in the world. Cooking has another plus, at least for me: it's relaxing. And it allows me to do something normal smack in the middle of the bizarre life we lead, nurturing even. You see, it's my responsibility to feed this family, and I take that very seriously.

Will and Dawn poured over Martin's notebooks while Sophia and I are shopped for dinner. Dawn hasn't really said much since I took her away from the books and put her to work in the kitchen. None of us has, it's actually been kinda weird since Buffy got back. Will stayed in her office to cross reference Martin's notes against the Prophecy and has been there ever since. Buffy's still upstairs with Faith, Emma and Nicky – big pow-wow going on there. And I don't know where the hell Kennedy is, she didn't come in with Buffy and Emma. Should we be getting worried?

About 10 minutes later, Ken comes into the Kitchen. "Hey," she slides into a chair at the table. "Can I do anything to help?"

"And where've you been?" Ok, I was trying for funny, but it comes out an _incy-wincy_ accusatory.

She raises her eyebrows and tilts her head at me, "You're fucking kidding me right?"

"You've been gone for hours, I was worried," I try to defend my concern.

Ken stands up and glares, an anger in her eyes I've never seen before, "And when did I start answering to you?"

She lunges at me but she gets intercepted by Sophia. "Cool it Ken," Sophia leans Kennedy against the back door. She pushes off and tries to get past Sophia, but the taller woman grabs Ken by the shoulders, "Come on Ken, knock it off."

"Kennedy, what are you doing? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Dawn yells out.

Dawn's words seem to get through to her. Shaking her head, she seems to snap out of it, "Shit, I'm good, I'm good," she holds her hands up in a placating manner until Sophia releases her. "Look, I'm sorry Andrew; I didn't mean to be such a jackass. I just..."

I let out a shuttering breath. Holy shit, I seriously thought she was going to kick my ass.

"I just took a drive, then had a couple of beers at Willy's."

Looking back and forth from Ken to Sophia, I sigh, "I was just concerned."

"I know; I'm really sorry, Andrew. I don't know what came over me" Ken nods staring at the ground.

Sophia put her arm around Ken's shoulders, "Why don't you go see if Willow is at a stopping point? Then you guys can get the others to come downstairs."

So I'm thinking to myself, yeah that's a pretty good idea and yeah, as soon as she leaves I'm having a _really_ big glass of wine.

She finally looks up at me and I can see the regret in her eyes.

"Go, your penance is dishwashing duty tonight... lots of sticky red sauce, so there." I try to lighten things up because even though I thought I was gonna pee my pants for a second, I know in my heart Kennedy would never hurt me. I think.

She gives me a thankful smile but still hangs her head as she leaves the room.

"Dawn can you - "

My lovely wife cuts me off before I can even complete my request, "One big glass of wine coming up honey." She says with a smile.

Sophia is still watching the door swing to a halt, "Can you make it two, Dawn?"

She opens a bottle and pours three glasses bringing them over to us. "I figured I'd join you guys." We look at each other, realizing exactly what could have happened here, then touch glasses, "Here's to keeping it together."

It's funny, in a bizarre not-laughing-cause-I'm-trying-not-to-freak-out way. 'Keeping it together' is like Ken's middle name. None of them have a shot if even she's wigging out. Dawn and I talk about it all the time. How the Slayers are pushed to the limits of their self-control. We're in an odd place, my wife and I. We are a part of this crazy life, but there's nothing supernatural about us. The whole "Key" thing Dawn had going on years ago doesn't count, she's human now and has been since she was 14. As Faith so aptly put it years ago, we are Mr. and Mrs. Q, the thinkers, the watchers, the researchers, the outsiders really.

It's times like this that Dawn and I realize how much we will never understand what they _really_ go through everyday. I look over at Sophia and see she's still pretty freaked. She's one of the most "normal" Slayers too. I really can't imagine what it must be like for them, to know they were created to be an army in a war that can never be won.

**WILLOW'S OFFICE**

WILLOW'S POV

"I am such a fucking asshole," Kennedy says as she throws herself onto my couch. Man, she looks pissed.

"What are you talking about?" I have a feeling this isn't going to be good.

Leaning forward with her head in her hands, "After I brought Buff and Emma back, I went for a drive then stopped by Willy's. I had a couple of beers with him and Clem." She looks up at me, "Then I came home and almost jumped Andrew. Fuck, Will, I don't know what happened, it's like I just snapped."

"Whoa, you jumped Andrew?" Is he ok?" Ok, now I'm scared.

She sighs, "I didn't _really_ jump him, but I almost did." Her head is back in her hands, "Sophia stopped me, thank the Gods."

"Kennedy?!?"

"I know, I know… fuck."

Trying to calm down, I sit next to her and ask, "Ok, what _exactly_ happened?"

"Nothing, that's the messed up part. He just asked me where I was and I flipped out for no reason. I feel like such a freak."

I shake my head. I can't believe she lost it like that; she never has in all these years. "Is he angry with you?"

"More scared I think. He told me my punishment was to do the dishes tonight," she snorts, "He always makes the best jokes when he's scared."

I reach my hand up to rub her back, "Look Ken, you have to chill out. You've been wound like a top for a while and I haven't said anything but you can't go on like this." I turn her to face me, "You need to sleep, babe, I know you haven't been."

"I know," she sighs, leaning back into the couch, pulling me with her. Her arms encircle my waist as I rest my head against her shoulder. "I really don't know how Buffy and Faith do it, Will. You are the only thing in my life that keeps me sane; that grounds me. Jesus, you're here and I still almost lost it." She blows out a deep breath. "How they keep it together is beyond me, because if I was away from you for years at a time I'd be a basket case… or more likely, dead.

Reaching my head up to her face, I lightly kiss my Slayer's lips, "It takes a toll on them Ken, more than you know."

She nods and rests her forehead to mine, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Leaning back, she pulls me closer and I snuggle into her. My head is resting on her chest and I feel her breath catch. I'm incredulous when I realize this woman, who's been training since she was 8; who helped me deal with Tara's death; who was my constant source of support and understanding in my quest to overcome the draw and power of black magic; who nursed me back to health after I nearly died on Mount Ebih; who christened herself the protector of everyone under this roof; my personal tower of strength for the past 18 years was crying. She's _never_ cried in front of me before.

"I'm so sorry Will… it just… I just… lost it. I can't believe I lost it."

Holding her tighter, "It's ok, I'm here."

She swipes at her tears, "Fuck, I'm such a wimp. Faith has had to deal with so much more and here I am a babbling idiot."

"You are not a wimp, Kennedy," I bring her face to mine, "and you're certainly not a babbling idiot." I brush my lips over hers, "You're just tired, babe; we all are."

**SECOND FLOOR LANDING**

EMMA'S POV

Faith is between Buffy and I, a hand on each of our shoulders, slowly walking downstairs; Nicky is following behind us. She doesn't seem to be in as much pain as discomfort from not using her legs in so long. Too ornery to have us carry her; she walks down herself and only _allows_ us to steady her by holding on to our shoulders.

By the time we get to the first floor she's exceptionally proud of herself. "See? That was cake." She stops then breathes in deeply, "Man, do you smell that?" Moving closer to Buffy, she slips her arm around her waist, "Babe, if Andrew is making me pasta I just might have to declare my undying love for that man. You're alright with that, right?"

Buffy just laughs and shakes her head, "Who ever said the way to a _man's_ heart is through his stomach obviously never met you."

Faith breaks out with a huge dimple ridden smile, then gives Buffy a squeeze and a kiss on the forehead. God, I can't describe how good it is to see them happy. Looking over at Nicky, I see she's grinning up at them too. We follow our noses to the kitchen and find Andrew, Dawn and Sophia sitting at the table drinking wine.

"You guys starting without us?" I ask as I hold the door open for Faith.

No one says anything at first then I look closer at Sophia. She gives me then Faith an odd look, almost imploring, then I get it. She wants us to read her so I open myself to her and the whole scene with Kennedy slams into me. "Holy shit!"

"Emma!" Buffy chastens tilting her head at Nicky.

"Ah, oh, sorry... Hey, let me set the table. Why don't you guys pick out some wine for dinner?" I need to get them out of here so I can talk to Andrew.

Faith gives me a knowing glance then nods. Nicky is always cloaked so she didn't feel Sophia's memory – thank the Gods. The three of them go off to the dining room and I turn to the others.

I walk over to Andrew and put my hand on his shoulder, "You ok?"

"Yeah," he looks up, confused, then figures out Sophia just clued me in, "nothing really happened and she didn't mean it. It just kinda freaked me out."

"Where is she?" I ask.

Dawn finishes her wine, "With Willow." She pats Andrew's hand then stands, "Look, babe, finish making dinner. I'm going to go make sure she knows you're not angry with her."

Andrew nods then gets up and starts to put the mussels in the sauce, then the scallops, then the shrimp.

Sophia and I start stacking plates and silverware. "How'd it go with the PtB?" She asks, trying to get all our minds off it.

It stops me in my tracks and she notices. I actually forgot all about the amazing events of this afternoon and the ensuing two hour "family meeting" for a minute. "It was…" both Andrew and Sophia turn to me at my hesitation, "Buffy said we'll talk about it at dinner." I head over to the door to the dining room.

Hearing Sophia take a huge breath, "Em, is it bad?"

I look at her and smile, "Actually, no, but let Buffy tell you all the details."

Dinner is pretty quiet. Not because of weirdness due to the whole Kennedy thing, but because Andrew's Fra Diavolo is outstanding, just the right amount of heat. We all want to concentrate on the eating. Faith hasn't spoken a word outside of asking for seconds, then thirds.

Buffy takes a look around then begins, "I know you guys are wondering what happened this afternoon with the PtB. A lot of it has to do with the Prophecy, but basically they are releasing Faith from her duties as Champion." That statement stops everyone in mid chew. "They also have recanted their acceptance of Emma's offer to take Faith's place."

Sophia turns to me surprised then smiles. I can see the relief wash over her face. It never occurred to me that she was so worried. I tilt my head questioningly at her but she just shakes hers then looks back at Buffy.

"They have chosen a new Champion to help them and have asked us to focus on the Prophecy because if we don't find a way to stop it, we'll all die. And not just here, it concerns this world as well as many others. The inter-dimensional repercussions will basically have a mirror effect. If this world, this reality is destroyed, then the alternate universes that complement this one will also cease to exist." Buffy pauses then, "Will?"

Willow nods, "Yeah, so, after 8 years of pouring over everything, Buffy tells me two things this afternoon and it all falls into place… funny huh? Well, maybe not really funny in a 'ha ha' way."

She stops and clears her throat. "Anyway, ah, 2 things, right: the Mok'tagar demon told Faith it was 'Carved in Stone' and the PtB said 'Nibiru will be back soon'." Taking in the blank stares, she takes a deep breath and continues, "Ok, the Reader's Digest version is: there is a Sumerian Prophecy that is 'carved in stone' tablets actually, that there once was another planet in our solar system, 'Nibiru'. The Prophecy says it has an elliptical orbit and moves clockwise not counterclockwise. This planet is said to pass through our solar system once every 3600 years, when it returns the Earth will be destroyed." She stops, "Questions so far?"

Andrew takes a gulp of wine, "How soon is 'soon'?"

"Three, four years tops," Buffy answers.

"Well at least we have some time," he refills his glass. I can see his mind trying to work out how to attack this problem.

Willow continues, "It kinda gets sketchy here but there's a whole other part where it's written that Nibiru is heaven and all the Gods live there. So when it comes here the Gods will pass some kind of 'judgment', condemn mankind, then wipe us out. Standard apocalypsy stuff, nice, right?"

Sophia leans back in her chair, "How the hell can we stop something like that? I mean a planet coming into our solar system? For Christ sake, that would cause earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions. We fight the forces of evil not cosmic events."

"The key has to be the Gods right?" I ask to no one in particular.

Will nods, "Exactly. That's what Martin was trying to figure out. I went through his notes and - "

At the mention of her Dad's name, Nicky looked up in a daze. "What is carved in stone is not only the legend of the 12 planets, but how the last sole Chosen will lead the Three to Nibiru's plains."

"Nicky?" Buffy asks gently as she gets up then crouches down next to her.

I see the panic in Nicky's eyes as they dart from me to Faith then finally to Buffy, "I… I don't know how I know that." She's scared, "A tall, skinny rock, it had writing on it." She closes her eyes, "It's in a desert, and there's nothing else there."

Buffy puts her arm around her, "It's ok, just try and tell us what you remember seeing. Can you tell us anything else, anything at all?"

"It's really tall, like as tall as the house, and skinny and when the sun shines on it, it points to the gathering place."

Willow is nodding furiously, "A monolith in the desert."

Buffy narrows her eyes at Willow shooting her a look to be quiet. "Go ahead, Nicky, is there anything else you can remember seeing?"

Nicky closes her eyes for a moment then opens them, "There's writing all over it but it's not words, it's like pictures, or kinda like weird looking pictures… and Buffy?"

Buffy rubs her shoulder, "Yeah sweetie?"

"I don't know what it says but it's about us, I mean the four of us." Nicky launches herself into Buffy's arms and begins to cry uncontrollably. Buffy's at a loss. Nicky's been standoffish to her since the day she got here. Now it looks like this room full of Slayers wouldn't be able to get her arms from around Buffy's neck.

"Shhh baby, it's gonna be ok." Buffy stokes her head as she rises with Nicky still in her arms. She lifts the youngest Slayer up a bit so the girl can wrap her legs around Buffy's waist. Yeah, the kid is a little old to be carried, but major meltdown from visions you're too young to understand is the stuff exceptions to almost every rule are made of. "We're going to go upstairs guys; it's been a really long day." Faith starts to get up but Buffy puts a hand on her shoulder, "Stay, you need to catch up, we'll be fine." Before she leaves, she turns to Andrew, "Dinner was amazing, thanks bro. Goodnight everybody."

We all just sit there for a minute; letting everything sink in. Faith finally breaks the silence, "Ok, can we _not_ talk about the Prophecy anymore tonight?" She leans forward and wearily rubs her forehead.

"Yeah, good idea," I readily agree with her.

Ken stands up, "Why don't you guys go relax and let me clean this up?"

"Let me help you," Willow stands locking her gaze on Kennedy, then joins her in clearing the table; the double entendre was lost on no one.

**LIVING ROOM – 12:37 AM**

FAITH'S POV

Ken and Red went up to bed about an hour ago, then Andrew and Dawn not long after. The four of them looked totally wiped. Probably aren't over their jet lag yet. Well, that and the whole Ken almost attacking Andrew thing probably added to it. Man, it's been a long fucking day.

I look across from me and watch Sophia and Emma; wondering if this weariness has reached them too. They're on the couch opposite me, both sitting back, feet up on the coffee table, drinking a last glass of wine. They seem ok, but Sophia's been doing this just as long as Ken. And Emma, well, she had her own hell to deal with before the craziness of our lives became a daily thing. "Hey," they both look up at me, "How are you two doing? I mean really doing?"

"Almost scared to say ok?" Emma ventures.

Sophia laughs, "Me too. Kinda don't want to jinx it you know?"

Nodding I continue, "Have you talked to Vi and Rona?"

"I actually talked to Rona right after you woke up. She's doing well, still having a blast running her night club in London. You and Buffy should go out there sometime, it's a really great club; she does an incredible job with it, the place is always packed. She said she was going to give you a call once things calm down."

I can't help but laugh, "And when is that going to be?"

"Touché." She bows her head in mock defeat.

"I think those of us who have something besides the Slaying, besides the training facilities, are faring better." Emma says almost to herself. When she realizes she has our attention she continues, "Think about it: Buffy, Kristen, Rona, Sophia, me; we all have an outlet, a way to lose ourselves in something other than being a Slayer. Even with Buffy and Kristen, yeah they're doing Slayer stuff, but on a whole other level."

Mulling it over, I counter, "Then why are the sleepers begging out?"

Emma tilts her head; I can almost see her trying to find an answer. But it's Sophia who speaks up, "I think it's harder to straddle the line. Never knowing when you're going to be needed," she stakes a deep breath then sighs, "never knowing when you've put your family in danger. It's best to either stay active and have an outlet that keeps you sane, or just get out altogether."

She swirls her wine then takes a sip. Em rests her hand on hers and gives it a little squeeze. Sophia gives her a weak smile. Yeah, she's sane, but damn, not exactly happy.

"Vi just came back from taking a couple of months off from Slayer Central - Europe. Sophia perks up as she continues to recap her fellow alumni. "Her and her husband make it a point to get away every year, no exceptions. That's her way of keeping it together. Can you believe Mrs. Pinnington of all people actually fills in for her when she's away? Switzerland obviously chilled her out a lot."

Nodding, I ask, "What about the rest of them?" There is a 'Slayer Central' training and research facility on each of the continents: Ken runs North America; Vi runs Europe; Chao-Ahn - Asia; Caridad – Africa; Kit – Australia; and Graciana - South America. All of them are from the first round of potentials that fought the First in Sunnydale. They're a tight-knit group and probably the most well-adjusted. Not like the ones who were called as children or at birth. Red was right, the spell messed up a lot of these girls, which is why I worry about Emma and Nicky. I can't imagine being called so young.

Sophia glances back up at me, "Chao-Ahn and Graciana are solid. They're lucky enough to have their families with them for support when they need it. Caridad and Kit's families didn't make it past the Bringers so they struggle a bit. But they have friends and Kristen's been helping them through it; she's been helping a lot actually."

"Looks like I have a lot to catch up on, now that I'm apparently staying put for a while." I muse. I catch the grin growing on Emma's face and return one of my own. "Looks like we both dodged a bullet, huh?"

She laughs, "Uh-huh. I was scared I wasn't going to be able to finish med school."

"Med school?" I shake my head, "I would have thought you would be worried about hell dimensions, scary beasties, but med school? You're such a geek."

Emma laughs again, "Oh my God that's exactly what Kennedy said this afternoon."

"That's why she's my buddy," I retort as I notice Sophia has found her happy place too.

Emma looks at both of us, "Hey Soph, I wouldn't laugh, Ken included you in the 'surrounded by geeks' comment."

Sophia nods, "Yup and damn proud of it. If it wasn't for me being a geek, a lot of people would be worse for the wear, so I'm cool with it."

"Good," I slowly stand, "Ok, guys it's late and I'm beat. We'll continue this tomorrow I'm sure. Goodnight." I go into the kitchen to drop off my wine glass and pick up a pint of water. When I come back out I hear them talking:

Emma: "You sure you're ok about Norberto? You sounded a little wistful before."

Sophia: "Yeah, I really am. Em, this is going to sound crazy..."

Emma: "Somehow, I doubt it."

Sophia: "It's like I feel I _should_ feel bad, but I don't. Jesus, Emma, we were together for 18 years and I just walked away. And I'm, ok with it," she sighs, "Does that make me a heartless, horrible person?"

Emma: "No, I think it means he wasn't the one for you. Don't worry, if he's out there, you'll find him. You'll see, and when you do, the Slayer stuff won't get in the way."

Sophia: "Yeah, with my luck, the guy for me has already been drained by a vampire."

Emma: "That was _so_ not funny." She chastens, then, "Ok, maybe it was a little funny."

I hear them cracking up as I walk up the stairs. The resident geeks having a laugh... it feels good to hear after so long. Slowly, I open the door to see Buffy and Nicky fast asleep, on their sides, facing the window. If only I had a camera... I change quietly then slip into bed, trying my best not to wake them. I slide an arm under Buffy's pillow then pull her snug up against me, "I love you," I whisper, kissing her ear. I'm rewarded with a contented sigh. Yeah, I thank the gods every day I found the one for me.


	6. Whose Choice?

**Chapter 6: Whose Choice?**

**FAITH & BUFFY'S ROOM – NEXT MORNING – 7:03 AM**

NICKY'S POV

Buffy and Faith are still sleeping. Not me though, I've been up for a while, since the sun came up for sure. Slowly, I get out of bed and wrap myself up in the blanket that hangs over the reading chair. Not really wanting to see who else is up, I curl up on the chair and watch them sleep. They both need it; it's been a hard time for them these past couple of weeks, Mommy and Daddy told me it would be. I sigh, I miss them so much. We talked about it ever since I can remember, but I still didn't think it would be this hard.

The vision last night was weird, like I was standing in the desert, and I've never been to the desert or even seen a picture, but I knew what it was anyways. It was the first real vision I've had since Mommy died. I mean, I knew when Faith was going to wake up, cause I just knew, it wasn't like a _real_ vision.

That's why I was crying last night, cause I miss them. I didn't mean to, I hope everyone here doesn't think I'm a big wimpy jerk now. It's just that visions are scary sometimes and that one was really scary. Buffy was so nice though, she did just what Mommy would have: picking me up and cuddling with me until I fell asleep. I like her. At first it was weird cause she looks like Mommy's sister, well if Mommy had a sister, she doesn't though. At first, I felt like maybe she wanted to take her place, but I know now she doesn't, she told me so last night before I fell asleep.

"Hey there."

I shake my head to see Buffy is awake and getting out of bed, "Good morning," I whisper, seeing Faith's still asleep.

"Want to come downstairs with me? Faith still needs to catch up on some sleep," she says softly.

"I'm up, just resting my eyes," Faith mumbles.

We both laugh, then Buffy goes to her and places a kiss on her forehead, that's sweet. "Stay and rest, we'll bring you coffee. Won't we Nicky?"

"Yeah," I agree, "and breakfast, Emma taught me how to make pancakes."

Buffy turns back to Faith, "Hungry?"

Faith smiles at her then nods as she runs her hand down Buffy's arm then squeezes her hand, "You know I'm never gonna say 'no' to breakfast in bed, B."

"Well, looks like we have our marching orders then," Buffy looks at me, "Ready?"

"Yeah!" When we get to the stairs I look up at Buffy, "Are you _really_ gonna let me make them all by myself?" That would be so cool.

She smiles and puts her hand on my shoulder, "You bet, I think you'll do fine, especially if Emma taught you."

I'm going to cook breakfast all by myself; this is going to be the best day ever! When we get downstairs only Emma and Sophia are in the kitchen. Em's reading her textbooks and Sophia is browsing the newspaper. Both are drinking coffee.

"Hey guys," Emma smiles at us, "you're up early." It's Monday, so she has an early class today. I know because I memorized her schedule the second day I got here.

Buffy rests a hand on her shoulder as she makes her way to the coffee pot, "Morning Em, test today?"

"Yeah, and I have a late lab so I won't be home for dinner. Can you tell Andrew for me?"

Buffy wraps her hands around the mug and nods, "You got it. Nicky's making us breakfast this morning; have time to join us?"

Emma turns to me with a big smile, "You going to give it a shot on your own?"

"Yeah!" I shout as I start pulling out the flour and eggs.

She laughs, "Cool, I'm in."

So a half hour later we were all around the table eating pancakes and you know, they were really good! We didn't have to bring Faith hers because she came downstairs a little while after we did. She said she wanted to watch a 'master at her task'. I think that meant she wanted to watch me make them.

"Hey, why didn't we get the breakfast invite?" Dawn and Andy walk in and survey the goodies.

I stand wide-eyed, then, "Hi, Andy, Dawn, come on, don't worry, there's plenty more, I made enough for everybody." I jump on the little step stool and heat up the skillet to make a fresh stack for them.

By the time I finished with Andy and Dawn's, Willow and Kennedy come down. So then I have to do it all over again. Man, cooking is a lot of work. It's almost 8:00 am when Emma leaves for school then Faith looked a little tired so Buffy brings her upstairs. The rest of us just hang out in the kitchen until classes started at 9:00.

Sophia is helping me clean the kitchen now. And after we're done, she is going to tell me about the battle with the First Evil. I know the story cause my Dad told me before, but she was there, so she's gotta know a ton of really cool stuff that happened. I can't wait.

**FAITH & BUFFY'S BATHROOM – 8:37 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

After breakfast, Faith said she wanted to nap, so she crawled into bed as soon as we got back upstairs. She looked kinda beat, so I thought it would be a good idea to let her sleep and I'd grab a quick shower. Turning on the taps, I think about this morning. Breakfast was a lot of fun and Nicky, man; she was just busting her buttons that everyone loved her pancakes. I don't want to put the jimmy-jammy on us, but for the first time in a long time, I feel like everything's going to be ok, at least for a little while, for now. How long will 'for now' last this time?

As I lean my head under the warm water, I sigh. Can this really be it? Can we really be together, be happy, live our lives together? I turn around and let the water run down my face. Half of me wants to finally believe it is true, the other half is scared I'm tempting the Gods by even thinking of it. Will they ever truly allow us to be together for more than a handful of moments? Shaking my head, I vainly try to steel myself against the thought that the madness of our lives can be anything other than just that: madness.

And as I slide down the tile wall, I try to stop my tears, but it's no use, I need to cry them. I sit in the tub as the shower beats down on me, it's crying with me in my moment of weakness. We cry for the lost time, the ache of separation and the promise of an early death that we have incredibly managed to, so far, evade. Can the Gods be so cruel as to not allow us more than this?

I so want to be optimistic, I want to wrap myself up in Faith and know in my heart we'll be able to live 'happily ever after'. But that's a life for other people, not us. Ours is to save, to protect, then if we're lucky, we can have a few stolen moments together before our world is thrown into chaos again.

Pulling myself together, I finish washing up, throw on my robe then go and check on Faith. When I walk out of the bathroom, I see she's in the same position I left her in. Trying not to be worried, I go to her and place my hand on her forehead, "Faith?"

She doesn't answer me; she's just lying there, far too still. Ok, now I'm scared. Putting both hands on her shoulders I shake her, "Baby, you ok?" I'm completely unprepared when she reaches up and flips me onto the bed. Hovering over me, her wolfish grin spreads, "Better than you think." Scooping me into her arms, she slowly rains kisses over my face, jaw, neck. I close my eyes and rest my head back allowing her to graze her tongue and teeth along my throat then up my neck.

"You scared me," I say half breathless, half pouting.

She unties the wrap of my robe, "Didn't mean to." she mumbles as her mouth covers mine then makes another trail to the nape of my neck.

Groaning, I know I have to stop her and her wandering hands, "Faith," I gasp, "We can't, you have to, we have to…" How can I stop her when it's the very last thing in the world I want to do? Reaching my hands up to bring her face to mine, I know I have to do this, "Babe, stop."

"Nuh-uh," she shakes her head, "I'm ok," her hand gently runs down the length of my body making me shiver, "I'm better than ok." Her eyes reach out to mine, "we waited long enough." I can't seem to fight her on this; I just don't have the willpower. Swooping back down, she languidly alternates between kisses and nibbles lavishing such attention on my mouth that I hardly feel her hand blazing a trail up my thigh until it finds its destination. And when it does my heart leaps to my throat. Could I have really forgotten how incredible she makes me feel? How her very touch makes me literally melt into her?

"God, Faith..." My long dormant desire for her rapidly wakes from its slumber as my body begins to pulse in time with her. My robe falls away as I raise my leg up to meet her. I need for her to feel this too; to be this high. Because that's what I am, utterly and irrevocably high on her, on us, and I want her to be as lost in me as I am in her. Gasping, I let out a moan as her fingers circle teasingly while she sucks deeply on the smooth skin just behind my ear.

My hands are lost in her hair as I start to arch into her. She pulls back to look at me, breathing heavily, smiling, "I love you." Then she rocks into me and it's just too much. I wanted to hold back, to revel in the feel of her, but we've been apart too long, I'm completely consumed by her touch. She's moving with me and soon her breath is halting too, I can't even get my hands on her yet and she's leaping off the edge with me. "Buffy," she manages to sputter out as I hold onto her for dear life while the shocks run rampant through our bodies. She rides it out with me, slowing bringing us down.

She's lying on top of me; we're both trying to catch our breath. I pull her face to mine, "God, I missed you," then I kiss her slowly, very slowly.

"I missed you, more than I can say" she smiles at me as she leans on one arm, taking some of her weight off me. Her hand trails back and forth on my stomach.

Kissing her again I gradually make my way to her ear where I whisper, "I think you just cleared my whole morning schedule."

"Yeah?" She smirks, "Then how about I start working on the afternoon one too?" She pulls her T-shirt over her head then lies back down on top of me, kissing my shoulder.

I think every nerve ending in my body is jumping for joy at the feel of her skin next to mine. "God, you feel so amazing," I run my hands up and down her smooth back as I nod slyly, "I think my afternoon is starting to look pretty clear too."

There's a knock at the door then the door knob turns a bit, "Buffy? Faith?" Jesus, it's Nicky! Then we hear another voice, and I'm thanking every God and Goddess I can name for Sophia right now, "Hey, Nicky, leave Buffy and Faith alone, they're taking a nap, besides they know all about the story of the First. Come on back downstairs."

I look at Faith and smile, "Guess we're gonna have to get used to having a kid in the house."

She laughs then buries her face in my neck, kissing my throat, "So, good thing I locked the door when you were in the shower, huh?"

And as I scrape my nails down her back, I murmur, "Mm-hmm, baby, it's a real good thing."

**DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 5:13 PM**

ANDREW'S POV

"You think you can modify it after all this time? Because Willow, that would be incredible." I can't believe it; this might be the key to so many problems.

Willow sets her jaw tightly, "I'm not 100 yet, but I spoke with Ms. Hartness and she thinks it's possible. I'm going to go with Emma when she stays for her healing training in June. Hopefully I'll have more answers from the Coven then."

"Then Buffy and I can start on the Profile program, oh, this is fantastic."

She laughs, "Whoa, do you need a minute?"

"Sorry, but it's exciting. I wish Buffy and Faith would get down here I want to get started." Ok, I know if I hadn't seen Dawn in a year, and when she came back she was near death, the first second she was healthy I'd lock us up in our room too, but this is going to be so cool to figure out.

Will shakes her head, "They'll probably be down soon, you know how Slayers hate to miss a meal and it's way past lunchtime."

"Man, did you say lunch?" Faith asks, as they walk into my office, rubbing her stomach.

"Thank the freaking Gods, please both of you sit, Will has some incredible news. I'll make you a sandwich in a minute."

The redhead turns to them raising an eyebrow, "Have a nice… nap?" She just can't resist teasing them.

"Yeah, yeah," Faith laughs, "like you and Ken would be any different. Where is everybody?"

Oh my God, this is killing me. "Ken and Nicky are down in the rec room having a foosball tournament, Dawn and Sophia went over to Willy's for happy hour, and Emma's still at school. Please Willow, they're making me crazy." I start to pace frantically.

The redhead laughs at my eagerness, "Ok, Andrew, don't have a cow." Then she turns to Buffy and Faith. "I overheard Sophia telling Nicky the story of the First and the end of Sunnydale. Listening to it after all this time from someone who was there, but I didn't really know at the time was kinda weird. It's like, she was just another confused and scared kid that we were trying to protect you know? Hearing your words come from her lips made something click."

"So I called Ms. Hartness and we talked about the problems the Slayers have been having," she continues, "and we think the lion's share of the problems the girls have is because they are just too young to have that kind of power." She looks hard at Buffy, "When we decided to do the spell, we were thinking about saving the world, not what was going to happen to a newborn with Slayer-strength."

Buffy nods, "But it was the only way to defeat him."

"Oh, I know, but here's the thing, when you gave your speech to the potentials the day before the fight with the First, you said 'So here's the part where you make a choice', but Buffy, we never gave them a choice. _We_ decided that 'every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer.' _We_ decided that 'Every girl who could have the power, will have the power.' None of these girls ever had a choice, but I think I've found a way to give it to them."

Buffy furrows her brow, "You want to undo the spell?"

"No, modify it, make it better," now Will stands up and begins to pace, "We know 18 is like the magic cut off. No Slayer before you was every called past 18, and Kennedy had just turned 18 before she got to Sunnydale. No one older than that became a Slayer after the spell, so that's the place to start."

I can't help myself, so I jump in, "What if we change the spell so girls would be 'tagged' as Slayers but not given their power until they turn 18? We could alert the families when they are children, then the girl and her parents could have time to think it over. Then right before she turns 18, if she wants to accept her Slayer power she will need to take a test that will basically make sure she fits the psychological profile of a Slayer. If she passes, she'll train and fulfill her duties with us. Now, if she doesn't pass or if she chooses not to live this life, we would take away any chance of her ever becoming a Slayer, permanently."

"Holy shit, Red, do you really think you can do all of that?" Faith looks from me to Willow. She's actually wide-eyed, if I didn't see it myself, I wouldn't believe it.

Willow shakes her head, "No, I don't," but then she smiles, "but together we can. Buffy, you and Dawn would need to work on the profile. I'm sure Faith, Ken and the other SC Directors will all help there cause they've all known what it is to be a Slayer the longest. Andrew will work on the program to administer the test." Will stops pacing and crouches in front of Buffy, "Buff, between you and Dawn I'm certain you can nail down the perfect profile, the others will help fill in the gaps. Me? I'm going to England with Emma in June. While she's perfecting her healing spells, I'll be pulling some quality time with the Coven, so we can work out how to channel the mojo." She stops now and glances back and forth from Buffy to Faith, "So what do you think?"

It's oddly quiet; Faith is staring out the window, Buffy at the floor. Both of them are thinking what this means, what it can mean, but not in the same manner I'll bet.

"If we did it this back then, so many girls' lives wouldn't have been ruined." Buffy says slowly.

Willow takes Buffy's hands, "Buff, we were in crisis management then. We're 'older and wiser' now. Don't you dare blame yourself for not thinking about this back then. We were lucky to have been able to defeat the First and get out of Sunnydale in one piece."

"But - " her tears are falling now.

And as Willow and Faith try to make her understand that by acting now we can save the future, Buffy is still holding onto those she couldn't save in the past. How can the shoulders of one small woman carry this kind of responsibility for so many years? It's a wonder she hasn't cracked in all this time: her many loses, her separations from Faith, the constant travel to those who need her help. Many say it's a sign of weakness, but I honestly feel Buffy finds her strength in her tears, in her very ability to shed them.

**_HIGH ON THE HELLMOUTH - _DEMON BAR – 6:21 PM**

DAWN'S POV

Willy just got us another buy-back. You have to watch that guy, or we'll be crawling home, or at least I will. Everyone seems to forget I don't have that Slayer thing going on where you have to drink like a sailor to get tipsy. Sophia and I have finally taken some time to hang out. Her family had been giving her a hard time about her breakup with Norberto and we haven't really had a chance to talk.

"It's not that they're _angry_," she sighs, "it's that they're so _disappointed_." She rolls her eyes and plays with the label on her beer bottle. "They just always thought I'd settle down with him, that he would be my ticket out of this crazy life."

Nodding, I sip my beer, "You don't want a ticket out do you?"

"Nope," she laughs, "I finally realized I never have. I've been talking to Emma about it, and you know what? I love being a Slayer, almost as much as I love being a doctor. And that's a bizarre thing in itself, saving lives during the day and ending them at night..."

I cock my head and smile, "You're changing the subject..."

"Oh, right, well, I'm feeling oddly free, like a huge weight has been lifted from me." She turns to me, "not that he was weighing me down, but, like I was weighing me down when I was with him. I feel like I can finally just be me and not have to worry what he expects of me or my family expects of me." She turns back to bar and finishes her beer. "God, that's incredibly self-absorbed right?"

I think about it for like a second, "No, you can't be happy with someone else unless you're happy with yourself." Ugh, I shake my head, "Did that nasty, trite saying just come out of my mouth?" We both laugh. Then Willy comes over with raised eyebrows, "I'm good, but Sophia needs another." He sets another bottle in front of her and makes his way back to his other customers. "I guess those old sayings are trite for a reason, right?"

"I guess."

We sit in silence for a while, each in our own thoughts. When I realize how long she's been here, "Do you have to go back soon?"

"Yeah, Wednesday night, give me a ride to the airport?"

I smile, "You got it. I kinda got used to you being around again."

"It's been great being here, taking the time off. But I need to get back, the hospital's been great, but I don't want to take advantage." She laughs, "And, yeah, with you guys, you never know when I might get a phone call to come back, so I have to keep my relationship with the Chief pretty solid."

Never thinking about the effect Slaying had on her career, "Oh my God, did you get in trouble?"

"Not exactly 'trouble'; let's just say I need to pull a month of double shifts." She catches my pained look, "Hey, don't, being here for Faith was more than worth it. And I got a chance to get my head together which was definitely necessary. They'll appreciate a more 'together' me, trust me."

She stops, both of us thinking about what she just said. I let out a breath, "Did Ken talk to you this morning?"

"A little, she still feels really bad about last night."

Looking over at her, I shake my head, "Thank God you were there."

"Dawn, nothing would have happened. She would have reigned herself in before it came to anything. You know that."

Wincing, "I don't know if I know that for sure. I mean, I'd like to think that would be the case, but, it was kinda like seeing a flash of the old Faith – it scared the shit out of me."

"She wouldn't have hurt him; I know that for a fact."

And for the first time since it happened, I really feel her words are true. Maybe it's the conviction in her voice, hell; maybe it's just wishful thinking. But I do, I honestly do believe Kennedy would have stopped herself. "Thanks for being there anyway."

"Anytime," she finishes her beer, "Come on, let's get back and see what that husband of yours is making us for dinner. Jeeze, I'm gonna miss these home cooked meals when I get back to Chicago. I'm in the process of single handedly putting the kids of the folks who own the diner across the street from my apartment through college..." she pauses for a moment, "maybe grad school too."

**LATER THAT NIGHT – DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 10:23 PM**

WILLOW'S POV

It's funny; there are such a mix of reactions, just like when we told Buffy and Faith. For the most part everybody thinks this will be the answer to a lot of problems. But it was my Ken who brought up a major one it would cause:

"What if the girl fails the test, but still wants to be a Slayer? What if she runs, before you can do the drug/spell thing and she comes into her power anyway? Are you going to call her 'rogue' and go after her? Once we find her will we take her power by force?"

Shit, ok, hadn't thought of that, "Ah, I... I don't know, "I look to my best friend, "Buffy?"

She sighs then leans back on the couch, "We have a lot to think about before we do anything to change the spell. For right now, we need to concentrate on the prophecy and how to turn it around. We don't have much time, and of course the fate of the world depends on us figuring it out." She lets out a deep breath, "Christ, is everyone as sick of hearing me say that as I am?"

It gets a well intentioned laugh.

She continues, "It may very well be that the answer to the Slayer issue may be found in the prophecy itself. I can't help but think the two are tied somehow. So let's hit the books and see what our friendly demons have to say"

Andrew immediately pipes up, "I did find something earlier today, the whole 'God' connection thing with Nibiru."

"Excellent," Buffy sounds relived, "let's hear it."

A huge grins lights up his face, "Well," oh God, I sometimes think he gets off on this stuff, "the Sumerians called Nibiru heaven, and those who lived there Anunnaki, which literally means 'those who came from heaven to earth.' If you go through the ancient mythology, regardless of which civilization by the way, there is always a race of beings that are more powerful and enslave and basically play with us lowly humans. To the Sumerians, it was the Anunnaki, which all of the Gods are based on."

Faith narrows her eyes, "And how does this tie in with the prophecy?"

"Well, it's just background," Andrew deflates, "I thought we should know who we're dealing with."

Faith smiles, "I'm sorry, Q, you're right it is important. It's been a while since I was in 'research mode' you know it's not my bag. What else did you find?"

"They might not want to wipe us out as much as enslave us for all eternity," he adds slowly. "They are higher beings, stronger, smarter, more powerful. That's why humans worshiped them, called them Gods. There are references to them in all the religions; you just need to know where to look. But they see us as slaves to do their bidding."

"What about the judgment thing Wills was talking about last night?" Buffy asks.

He hangs his head, "I haven't gotten that far yet. You'd be surprised how much information there is and I haven't found anything on the monolith that depicts a story of 'The Three' yet; there's so many to go through."

Dawn puts a hand on his shoulder, "Babe, for one day, you found a lot. And you got started on the profile program. We have three years; you can't solve the whole thing in a few hours."

"I know, I just want to get it going, you know?" He looks around the room. "I don't want to let you guys down."

Buffy scoffs, "Right, like you _ever_ have in the past? You're crazy to even think that."

"She's right Andrew; we couldn't have managed half the things we've done without you, so stop. It's far too early in the game to get down on your progress," I give him my resolve-face. And I know it worked because I see a grin start to form on his face.

Buffy slowly looks around the room, sizing up her Generals… again, "Let's get some sleep, we have a lot of work cut out for us."

And that's how we left it, a little up in the air, but I guess it's always like that at first. We have so much to do. I've been replaying everything in my head as I lie here, not sleeping. Thinking about the prophecy, the spell, what Ken said, damn, I can't believe I didn't think of that.

"If you're not going to sleep there are other ways to pass the time," she pulls me into her.

Turning around, "I didn't know you were still up too."

Ken fluffs her pillow then lays back against the headboard, pulling me to her chest, "Who can sleep with the tossing, turning, sighing, hell I think I can even hear you thinking – and that's scary," she laughs. "Want to talk it out?"

"I don't know, just restless I guess." I snuggle into her, "I didn't mean to keep you up. Last night was the first time you slept through the night in _very_ long time."

She gives me a squeeze, "Don't worry, you weren't, I'm just teasing, my mind was buzzing too. You're nervous aren't you?"

"Yeah, this can change so many lives; it can finally make it right."

Lifting my chin to look in my eyes, "Why didn't you ever tell me you felt guilty about the girls not having a choice?"

"You would have told me I was being silly." She raises an eyebrow at me and I lower my gaze, "Ok, you wouldn't have." I sigh, "It was just always something that gnawed at me, you know in the background. I've always felt there was nothing I could do to change it, so I tried to keep it out of my mind. Then…"

She nods her head, "Then I flipped on Andrew last night, you overheard Sophia this morning, then dwelled on it all day and finally had your epiphany?" Ok, that was SO not a question.

"Kinda?" I squint as I look up at her.

Her hand reaches up to cup my face, "You're so cute, I can't stand it." She smiles then dips down to give me a kiss, "I'm ok babe, really I am. I hadn't been sleeping, then Faith came back messed up, then losing Sara," she shakes her head, "It fucked me up good, but I'm dealing, I promise. Last night was a huge wake-up call for me." She kisses me again, "So sleep, cause like Buffy said, we have a lot of work cut out for us." She pulls me tight against her, "And I'm not about to let the world end; I'm planning on staying right here with you, so you're stuck with me, Red."

I smile as I nuzzle into her, "Good thing we have the same plan."

"Willow?" She rests her head atop mine.

"Yeah?"

She pauses for a moment, "I don't think we should take away a Slayer's power by force if she fails the test."

I sigh. I've been thinking about that too.

She turns me to face her, "If it were me, and I failed, and you were going to take my power…" she shakes her head, "I couldn't go back Will, there's no way I can be a regular person again."

"First of all, you're helping design the test, so odds that you'd fail it… pretty slim." She sighs out the laugh I was hoping to get then I join her, "Secondly, I think Buffy's right, we should concentrate on the prophecy for now. In time the logistics for modifying the spell will work themselves out."

Nodding, she kisses the top of head, "I just wanted to let you how I feel about it."

"I know, babe, I feel the same way. We need to figure out an age to cut off, then going forward do it as we discussed. But like I said there's plenty of time for all the details." I wrap my arms around her and lay my head down on her shoulder, "We'll work it out."

As I feel her arms tighten around me, I know I have my Ken back. I can feel her quiet confidence envelope me as warmly and as surely as her arms. It's been missing these last few weeks, but the conviction of her tone only mirrors her determination to do the right thing by all the Slayers. My rock, our conscience, it's good to have her back.


	7. Three Lessons in Taking

**Chapter 7: Three Lessons in Taking**

**THREE YEARS LATER – LATE MAY, 2024 – BACKYARD – 3:47 PM**

FAITH'S POV

With all the witchy-ness and magic I've seen in my life, how is it that no one ever told me about the enchanted effects of afternoon coffee? Yes, I've been a coffee-ho basically forever, but afternoon coffee? Ah, Ken turned me on to this and it's like I finally found God. I laugh to myself as I sit on the back porch steps watching my best friend teach my adopted daughter the proper way to disarm and decapitate a vamp. The fucked up lessons we teach our kids, huh?

Adopted daughter… can I tell you that still freaks me out. I'll never get over what power and money can do. B still had her contacts at the governor's office and no matter who's president, her and Ken seem to always have an "in" with the Secretary of State. So it was pretty painless to get the adoption papers together and dual citizenship arranged for Nicky. And just like she told us, everyone's been helping out in the raising of our young Slayer.

Funny that she didn't mention how much I'd need my own help. Buffy had her hands full with me for quite a while when I first got back. Yeah, we had to reacquaint ourselves with each other… again; but, it was harder this time, not the big stuff, just settling into everyday life. That last year I was chasing after Nicky did a number me. More than once I thought it would have been so much easier to let myself lose a fight than continue losing myself to the never ending death that was threatening to swallow me whole. I swear if it wasn't for the Buffy and Emma being in my life, being my family, I know I never would have made it back.

The PtB must have known how close to the end of my rope I was, so they let me go, my reward after what feels like a lifetime of service. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm chillin' on a beach chair in Miami. We have our hands full with the prophecy and fine-tuning how to change the Slayer spell. The others spend the lion's share of their time on that as well as keeping everything else running smoothly. I help out where I can, but my number one priority has become coordinating and over-seeing Nicky's training.

Even though Nicky takes her training very seriously, you can see her heart really isn't in it. She reminds me of B that way, not really embracing the Slayer in her. Actually, Emma too, now that I think of it; she's more in tune with the witch, the healer, than the killer that lies within her. I'd have to say Nicky is more comfortable with the emotions of being an Empath demon and the visions from the PtB than the spells or the slaying. Not that she's ever gone out slaying, shit the kid is only 11, there'll be plenty of time for that.

I look up to see Ken plunking Nicky firmly on her ass. Uh oh, now the kid is pissed. Ken offers a hand to help her up, but Nicky just glares at her in defeat. An evil grin begins to form as Ken starts to rise in the air.

"Ah, come on Nick," Ken bemoans, a bit more than exasperated; "I'm just trying to show you how to fight correctly." She looks at Nick seeing what she has a mind to do then, "Don't… please…"

Nicky releases her and she comes crashing down to the grass, "And I'm just showing you I can do it my way, so there."

Shit, I guess it's time to step in before things get ugly, "Ok, enough training for today. Hey, Nick you want to come to the butcher with me? Andrew wants to cue up some steaks tonight."

"Cool," she races over to me. "Just let me take a quick shower."

Grabbing her by the shoulder, I stop her from going inside, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"No, I don't think so," she looks at me questioningly.

I tilt my head over to Kennedy who's barely restraining herself from the stream of curses I just know she wants to unleash on Nicky. "When you abuse your power, you lose the respect of those who care about you. When you lose that respect, you become unreliable. Once you're unreliable, you endanger yourself and everyone here. It's a chain reaction I will _not _see happen."

"But I don't see why..." She looks at me then knows I'm not going to let this go, "Oh alright!" she says with a big sigh, oh the drama of being eleven. She walks back over to Ken, "I'm sorry Kennedy. I shouldn't have done that to you. I was being stupid." She even bows her head for good measure, that's my girl.

Ken gives her a sideways glance then ruffles her hair, "When you're fighting, the most important lesson other than 'Don't die' is 'Never let them get to you' it gives your opponent power." She waits until Nicky nods in acknowledgement, "Go get dinner, we'll do it again tomorrow."

The next thing I see is her flying past me, "I'll be down in 5 minutes," she calls over her shoulder, and then asks, "Can we take the bike?"

"You bet," I laugh as she disappears into the kitchen.

Ken sits on the step next to me, "It's hard when they're so young."

"That's not an excuse; your watcher started training you at 8. She's 11 now; she needs to be more disciplined."

She looks at me and laughs, "Riiight, just like you?"

"Funny, Ken," I shove her, hard, so she falls off the step.

Still laughing she looks up at me and really starts cracking up. "You're such a fucking role model, Faith."

Smiling back, I offer her my hand. She takes it as we both stand. "I never much was one to practice what I preach."

"Yeah, I kinda got that."

**UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF CLEVELAND – STAFF LOUNGE – 7:23 PM**

EMMA'S POV

Closing my eyes, I sit on the bench facing my locker. It's been four days since I've been home and exhausted doesn't even begin to cover what I feel right now. I think the real reason they call first year residents 'interns' is because you feel like you've been imprisoned at the hospital. It really blows my mind that regular people do this, I mean I'd be sucking wind big time if I wasn't a Slayer. I bow my head and rub my eyes. I know the sooner I get moving the sooner I'll be home, but just sitting here, eyes closed, feels really, really good right now.

I begin to feel a whole lot better when a pair of very strong hands starts rubbing my shoulders. Leaning into the massaging hands, I murmur, "I don't know who you are but if you keep that up I'll love you forever."

The hands freeze on my shoulders for a moment then there's a familiar laugher, "I thought we went over this, remember you and the boyfriend, what's his name this time?"

My eyes pop open, "Sophia?" I turn around disbelievingly, "What are you doing here?"

"The hospital is co-sponsoring a charity event over at Kent State." An easy smile comes to her lips as she sits next to me, "It's part of the administrative side of being Chief of Staff."

"Oh, so you're just here for tonight?" I ask, secretly hoping she's staying longer, but then I realize something. "Wait a second, _Chief_ of Staff, as in NOT _Assistant_-Chief?"

A huge grin begins to spread on her face, "Which brings me to the perks of being Chief of Staff," she leans over to me pushing my shoulder with hers, "I took a week off. Know anywhere I can stay?"

I pull her into a hug, "Freaking awesome, I am _so_ proud of you! Chief before 40, you're my hero."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you're single and have no social life." She pauses, "Well, unless you count Slaying as social..." She leans back with a smile then stands up.

"Slaying, social?" I scrunch my nose, "Eww, don't even tell me you're dating a vampire." I grab my jacket as I shake my head. Then something else occurs to me, tilting my head, I turn back to her intrigued, "Oh, or are you dating a Slayer?" I try to say it casually as I open the door.

"Nope, neither one, kiddo," she picks up her duffle bag and follows me out of the lounge to the parking lot, "It's been all work and no play for a while now, hence my meteoric rise up the ladder." She pauses for a moment, "And how you could think I'd ever date a vampire..." she shakes her shoulders in a mock chill, "that's just nasty".

"Buffy did," I offer weakly as we make our way to the car.

She throws her bag in the back seat, "Yeah, I was there, I remember. It was weird Em, soul or not, we're supposed to kill them not sleep with them."

"Yeah, I know. I just..."

"Look," she cuts me off and leans over the roof of the car, "I'm fine, really, I needed the time alone to get my head together. I promise, when I start seeing someone, you'll be the first to know." Climbing in, she turns to me, "Now, tell me about your flavor of the week."

I can't help but laugh, "Ok, ok, his name is Luka."

"Ah, 'the bringer of light', nice complement for a Slayer, is he Italian?"

Shaking my head as I back out of my parking space, "Nope, Albanian, he and his family came here when he was a kid. He's a nice guy, sweet, you know? He's a mason."

"He belongs to the fraternal order of Freemasons?"

"God no," I laugh again, "He's a stonemason, a craftsman, he fixed the chimney last month then we started talking, and the rest is history."

Sophia whistles, obviously impressed, "Wow, one whole month, have you ordered the wedding invitations yet?"

"That's so not gonna happen," I turn onto the freeway.

Her tone now is serious, not playful, "Why not? You said he was a nice guy. You don't think he's got staying power."

"Oh make no mistake, he's got staying power," I wink at her then look back to the road. We both laugh then I continue, "The problem is, he's a nice guy and I know he wants all the things I don't: a wife at home with a huge family. Not to mention he'd flip out if he ever found out what my second job is. I'm waiting for the questions to start; it usually goes downhill quickly after that." I pull into our driveway, "Dating civilians is a bitch, maybe that's why so many of us hook up with each other."

Sophia nods, "It's like I said years ago, there is a draw."

I turn off the engine and look at her, "Andrew thinks it's the 'combination of high stress, close proximity to each other and the secretive nature of our very existence'. Faith says it's because we're all 'hot chicks with super powers' but I think she just said that to get a charge out of Andrew. Buffy thinks it's part of what she calls the 'Slayer Bond'."

"Wow, I didn't realize you guys all had theories," she laughs.

Shaking my head, "No, Buffy and Dawn are still working the Slayer psychological profile thing. The hooking up thing just came up one night during dinner when they were discussing all the different things that go into being a Slayer, and how we're all different, yet similar."

"And what's your theory, Em?" She cocks her head to the side, waiting for my answer.

Playing with the keys I just took out of the ignition I sigh, "I don't know. I guess I think it's really all of those reasons, plus like you said, it would be easier in a way to be with someone who knows exactly how you feel, how you think, what our lives are really like." Neither of us say anything for while, then I break the silence, "It's not like I haven't thought about dating a Slayer, it's more that I'm worried I'd hurt somebody, you know? I mean, guys are so easy, you can walk into a bar and say 'Let's fuck' and 9 out of 10 times he'll say 'cool, ok'. It's harder with women, but if you look, they're out there."

Sophia raises her eyebrow at me and drawls out, "Oh really?"

Blushing a tad, I force my eyes back to the keys, then continue, "I don't think I could do that with a Slayer though; it would have to… _mean_ more, you know? I guess I'm mostly scared I'd fuck it up somehow. Like you said, a month or two is the longest I've ever been with someone. I don't even know if I can handle more than that."

She turns to me and tilts her head to side again, trying to digest everything I've said, trying to understand my reasoning, "But why would it have to mean more? I'm sure there are Slayers out there who would say 'cool, ok'."

I shake my head, "I don't know, I just don't think so, not two Slayers together. I mean, look at Faith and Buffy, look at Caridad and Shannon. There's a connection there that transcends anything I've ever seen with other people, straight or gay, doesn't matter." Looking over at her, I see her contemplating what I've said. "What about you? Have you ever thought about it?"

"I don't know. Sophia shrugs, "I was with Norberto for so long, never did a whole lot of dating, men or women for that matter. I guess if a situation presents itself, I don't think I'd run away from it." She closes her eyes and lays her head back against the headrest as she continues, "Look, Emma, I'm at the hospital during the day and I slay at night. It's not like I'm going out looking for anything."

I realize we are way beyond getting too personal here, so nothing stops me from asking, "Why not?"

She opens her eyes and looks at me; her brow furrowed, I can almost see her thinking, "I really don't know," she shakes her head, "maybe I'm just scared too."

I nod thinking it is funny how alike we are. Then I look at her, like, really look at her.

"What?" she narrows her eyes at me.

Suddenly, for the first time, I truly see _her_: not the role model, not the Slayer, not even the friend; but the complex, slightly vulnerable, stunning woman sitting next to me. I breathe in deeply, man, it's a rush.

"Em?" she asks, but I don't answer cause my mind has firmly wrapped around an idea, a feeling that has me stopped dead in my tracks.

In the span of probably 10 seconds, my heart starts to race as I realize the only person I would feel comfortable exploring this great unknown with is her, and it freaks me out, big time. Wow, where is this coming from? Is it just from the conversation? Has there always been an attraction here and I just never realized it before? Now that I've seen her like this, will I ever see her as just a friend again? Better question: do I want to? And as my mind swirls, I know it's wrong, but I can't stop myself from allowing my cloak to fall. I desperately need to know if I'm alone in this; so I read her, and Jesus, she's feeling it too. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

She watches as I pull my head back and widen my eyes in surprise, then she realizes what I just did. "Emma, you didn't…" her eyes try to search mine but I can't hold her gaze, "Oh my God, you did…" she's incredulous at first then her disappointment settles in, "that's… that's _really_ fucked up." She sighs as she shakes her head.

Aware of just how wrong, how incredibly intrusive it was, I start to stammer, "I - I'm so sorry, I -I know I shouldn't have, I - I…"

"Don't… please…" her voice is even as she raises her hand to stop the idiocy dribbling from my mouth. She takes a deep breath then lets it out as she runs a hand through her hair, "God, Em, talk about not playing fair." She closes her eyes again and leans her head against the window, "Just, please don't ever do that again,"

"I swear I won't," oh, just great, now she's angry with me and I feel like shit, good times here. Can't I just rewind the last 5 minutes? Damn it, I'm such an ass. "Really, Sophia, I promise, it will _never_ happen again." I want to reassure her, so I put my hand over hers and there is nothing to prepare me for the jolt that runs through me when we touch. Shocked, I pull my hand back immediately. So that's what Faith is always talking about.

I know she felt it too. We look at each other, then quickly away. "That was… certainly… new," she says cautiously.

I swallow then turn back to her, "Sophia, I think we - "

Before I can finish, my door is opened from the outside and Faith leans into the car. "Em, it's nice of you to actually come home one night this week," she winks at me. "Can we move this inside? Andrew wants to lock down the house so we can eat in peace then me and Ken are gonna do a patrol with a couple of the SiT's."

"Ah, sure, Faith, sorry," I mumble, now I'm in trouble with everyone, this night is just getting better by the second.

"Nice to see you Soph, I guess you're the surprise house guest Nicky warned me about this afternoon. Good thing too, she made me get an extra steak, hope you're hungry."

"Sounds good to me," Sophia says as she grabs her bag and gets out of my car. "I had a charity thing in town, so thought I'd drop in on you guys for a few days."

Faith slaps her arm around her as we walk up the front steps, "Dawn is going to be psyched you're here. We haven't seen you in a long time; how's life treating you?"

Sophia's eyes casually sweep over mine then Faith's, "Oh, you know, same old, same old, just when you think you have it all figured out, life throws you a curve ball." And in that one motion, that carefree look, that seemingly blasé sentence, she put me at ease: letting me know she isn't angry but we _will_ be talking this out later. Damn, she's good.

**LATER THAT NIGHT - LAKE VIEW CEMETARY – 11:57 PM**

FAITH'S POV

"I thought you'd be beat and just want to go to sleep tonight." I look over to Emma, "Or stay in and hang out with Sophia. We all know you two get in your own little 'doctor-world' when she's in town."

Em is walking next to me, hands thrust in her pockets, brow furrowed in concentration, "Yeah, well, I kinda wanted to hang with you tonight."

"Hey, I'm not complaining, we haven't spent much time together since you started with the residency. It's good to have some quality time."

She laughs, "Yeah," she waves her hand around the cemetery, "Wacky the locales we have to resort to, huh?"

"I'm actually really glad you wanted to come out tonight, I want to talk to you about Nicky."

She stops walking, "Is she ok? I mean, nothing came after her, right?"

"No, not that, it's about," I sigh, "it's about control you know? And I'm just not getting through to her. I don't think she understands how much responsibility comes with the power we have."

Thoroughly confused, Emma shakes her head, "What are you talking about?"

So I tell her what happened with Kennedy and Nicky this morning. How Nicky felt there was nothing wrong with taking Ken for a ride using her magic; how she didn't get why I made her apologize. "So I was thinking, maybe you could talk to her. Maybe you could make her understand."

"Yeah, about that, I'm kinda not the best candidate for the job, Faith." She avoids my gaze as she rests against a tombstone. "I just had my own fall from grace."

I lean on the stone next to hers, "What? Something happened at the hospital?"

She takes a huge breath then lets it out slowly, "No, it was just earlier, when we first got home," she looks down, "I read Sophia without asking her if it was ok."

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Shit, talk about totally out of character: Emma never does anything wrong. I mean it's actually kind of sickening sometimes.

She's shaking her head now, "Because I'm a big fucking loser, that's why."

"You want to tell me what happened?" I put my hand on the back of her neck and we walk further into the cemetery, away from Ken and the girls.

Her hands are back in her pockets, "It was awful. We were talking and then I got this uncontrollable urge, like I _had_ to know what she was thinking, feeling." She kicks a rock and watches it sail a few yards. "Of course she could tell by the look on my face what I did, she was pissed, well, maybe not so much pissed as disappointed." She hangs her head.

"Do you blame her?"

She turns to me, and whoa, is she upset, "No, not at all, in fact, I think I'm angrier with myself than she is with me." She finds her rock and gives it another good wallop. It ricochets off a tree then is lost in a sea of forsythia.

Not getting why Emma would do such a thing, "Were you guys arguing?"

Her voice is very soft when she answers, "No."

I can't help but get a sneaky suspicion... "Something going on between you two you want to tell me about?" I venture. When she doesn't answer I can barely contain myself from shouting 'I knew it, I knew it' don't think she'd really appreciate that right now though. "Em?"

She sighs yet again, "Nothing's 'going on'. We were just talking, philosophically, you know, hypothetically, then all of a sudden it got personal, like really personal, then, then I couldn't stop myself. I feel like such a moron. I mean how could I do something so... God, so disturbingly… avaricious."

"Huh?" Fucking college kids, I mean I love her but...

She waves her hand, "I'm sorry, um it means, ah, grabby, predatory, like… taking something by force."

"Well, yeah, you fucked up," sometimes short and sweet is the way to go.

She puts her head in her hands, "God, I'm having a really hard time dealing with this."

Taking hold of her shoulders, I turn her to face me, "Look, I'm not trying to come off as some holier-than-thou freak. Believe me when I tell you I did more than my share of messed up shit, but it's done now, and nothing can change that. Look, you've apologized?" I raise my eyebrows then she nods, "you won't do it again?" again I wait for her to nod, "ok, now get over it."

She shakes her head and moves away from me, "No, you were right the first time, I really fucked up bad, Faith." She leans against another headstone resting her chin on her chest.

Now I feel bad for the kid, "Emma, I think you two can work this out, you should talk to her tomorrow. Come on, look at all those stories that I know the younger girls still tell about me: they're all true and Buffy still forgave me." Deciding to give her a more recent for instance, "Do you realize when you first got here, Buffy and I had a fist fight then I took her to another dimension without her consent? Fuck that, I basically kidnapped her and brought her to a hell dimension. And I did it for the sole purpose of showing her something that would hurt her. You don't think that qualifies as an abuse of power?"

"Holy shit!" she gasps, "How come I didn't know about that?"

Raising my eyebrow, "You're not serious."

She thinks about it, "Right, I was 15 and pretty much a wreck."

Nodding, I continue, "None of us are perfect, Em. We've all done something, or in my case, many things, we wish we didn't. It's very easy to allow yourself to get caught up in your emotions, whether it is anger, hate… or love," I hold up my hand to stop her protest. "It's a hard job policing ourselves, but we have to try our best. The PtB gave us these powers for a reason: to use them; we just have to be responsible when we do."

"Yeah, I get that," Emma nods at me then is dragged off the tombstone and into the arms of a Mok'tagar Demon. The next thing I know we're surrounded by some 20 vamps and the demon now has a gun at Emma's throat. What is with the fucking guns? I just can't stand it.

Clap, clap, clap, "Excellent performance. Don't you Slayers ever get tired of hearing yourselves speak? My word, the sanctimonious diatribes that spew from your mouths," the vamp rolls his eyes, "makes me a little queasy I tell ya. And you're so into your little speech you didn't even notice this noisy group."

I steel my gaze at the vampire, knowing if we live to get out of this, I will never be this careless again. How the fuck did they just appear like that? "What do you want?"

"To show you how helpless you really are," he nods his head to another vampire who approaches a struggling Emma. "Tut, tut, little one, your magic won't work here, we have our own Wicca who put a," he tilts his head, "Hm, I guess you can say a jam on the frequency in this area." He looks at Emma and smiles, "We're not going to kill you, my beautiful girl; my friend here just wants a little taste."

Emma's eyes fly open wide and she begins her struggling anew. But the demon has her tight to him, one huge arm around her shoulders pinning her back to his chest, the other holding the handgun just under her jaw, pressing firmly into her throat.

Oh hell no, this is not going to happen. Furtively, I shift my weight and stare from one to another, trying to figure out a way to stop this from happening. All the while the brood of other vampires watches intently.

"Would you rather we kill her?" the head vampire asks me, "because if you try to attack us, Solomon over there," he points to the demon, "will pull the trigger before you can get to him. I guarantee it."

Trying for an angle, any angle I begin, "Who sent you here?" I try for snarky, sometimes vamps like that, "You know, just out of curiosity." Maybe if I keep him talking, I can stall until I can think of something better.

"Haven't you been reading the prophecy… um, Faith, is it?"

I nod, "Yeah, and you're called…?" Imperceptibly, I inch closer to Emma and the demon that stands between us.

"Richard. It's delightful to meet you," he's almost cordial, "although I think my fledgling will enjoy this evening even more so."

Knowing how totally fucked we are right now, I do something I never would have if there wasn't a gun at Emma's throat. If there is any chance in the world I can appeal to him, I'll take it; I look him in the eye and try to level my voice, "Please don't do this."

He smiles at me, "We serve at the pleasure of the Anunnaki, Faith, and we _will _ensure their return. Now, Dennis, drink" He nods again to the other vamp that is now standing in front of Emma, one hand slowly tracing down the gun-less side of her neck while the other rests just above her hip. Moving slowly, he comes even closer; his arm encircles her waist, his eyes penetrating hers, son-of-a-bitch it's almost... sexual.

Then Emma stops struggling; her eyes become slits, finally succumbing to his thrall. The mother fucker was right; I have never felt more helpless in my life. Now beyond scared, Emma's arms weakly inch up between them as he lowers his mouth to her neck, then she breathes out her plea, "Don't... please..." She tries in a futile attempt to push him away then cries out as his teeth tear through her skin. Her head jerks back and her chest lurches up into him as she gasps for air. The demon steps away from her as the young vampire takes her fully into his arms, drinking deeply as she softly begs, "No."

There is no fucking way I can just stand here and watch this. I'm on the demon the instant the gun falls from Emma's neck. He doesn't have a chance to fire his weapon because I timed my leap so my foot would hit his throat, while the other slammed into his chest. He crashes into the tree behind him then goes down in a heap. I don't know if he's unconscious or dead, not caring, I know he's out of commission. Quickly spinning, I stake young Dennis and grab the falling Emma.

Not really liking the 18:1 odds, I yell out, "KENNEDY!" and soon, I hear them approaching. Laying Emma on the ground, I turn to Richard; hatred is far too docile a term for what I feel for this… creature, "I will destroy you for this, you bastard." I throw myself into the group of vamps bearing down on me, trying to get to him. It's not even a fight really; me plus blind rage doesn't really equal a lot of technique. Through a barrage of jumps, kicks and punches all I leave is a heavy cloud of dust. By the time Kennedy and the girls arrive, I've taken out half of them and am in the process of snapping another's neck.

Richard calls out, "Enough." He smirks as his remaining vamps surround him, "Another time Slayer, you will pay for taking my pet," he taunts as they back away. Then, they're gone, like disappeared gone, in an instant gone.

"What the fuck?" one of the girls says amazed.

Falling to my knees next to Emma, I bring her head into my lap. I rip off the bottom of my T-Shirt and press it into her bleeding neck. "You're gonna be ok, Em, you're gonna be ok."

"I'm… I'm alright." She's conscious, barely. "Help me up?"

I'm kinda scared, I don't want her moving around so soon. "Maybe you should wait a little, ok? Let Ken get her car." I look over to Ken who sees the blood quickly soak through the material on her neck then shakes her head. Shit, we need to get her home fast. Pulling her into a sitting position, I take off my jacket and put it around her. "What if you pass out, huh?"

"Please, Faith?" she grabs my arm to steady herself as I help her up. Emma swallows, holding the remnants of my shirt tight to her throat. She looks at me pleadingly, "Just take me home. I promise I won't pass out till we get there." She tries a smile but it's more a grimace.

Knowing I can get us home in less than five minutes, I grudgingly agree, "Alright, we'll take the bike, it's faster".

I turn to Ken, who has her hand up to stop me before the words can even leave my lips, "I'll call the house so Sophia will be up and ready to take a look at her once your guys get there."

Wincing at the mention of her name, Emma leans heavily against me, "I'll be fine, I just need to rest and keep warm." Then she looks at Kennedy, "You don't need to call her, Ken. He didn't take much."

Kennedy looks at her like she's lost her mind then turns away and makes the call. In an instant I hear her trying to calm Buffy down.

Emma's arms tightly encircle my neck when I pick her up. Turning towards the street I hold her closer than I probably need to, but she doesn't seem to mind. Instead, she burrows her head into my chest as I feel her tears start to soak through my shirt. And as I carry her to my bike, I try to control the red hot anger that's burning through me right now, because I need to channel it into something else. "You're wrong, Em," I say as evenly as I can, "he took plenty."


	8. Game On

**Chapter 8: Game On**

**EMMA'S ROOM – 1:27 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

Faith and I are standing by the bed as Sophia checks Emma's vitals then disinfects the gash on her neck. Fledglings have no finesse to find a vein; they just tear the skin in their frenzy to feed. She passed out about 5 minutes ago, after a delirious mantra of apologies to Sophia and Faith. What was that all about?

"I'll stay with her, why don't you two go ahead, I'm sure Ken and Will are waiting for you." Sophia says as she sutures Emma's neck. "She'll be fine; her color isn't bad," she looks up at us, "really, she doesn't need a transfusion; he didn't take enough to hurt her," she pauses then looks back to her task, "physically that is."

We nod and Faith heads upstairs, she feels angry and guilty, although I think the anger is going to win out in the end. I lag behind; leaning against the door as I watch Sophia do a last antiseptic wash, thoroughly cleansing Emma's neck, then applying gauze and tape. Once finished she sits back and shakes her head, lightly brushing some hair from Emma's face, "What am I gonna do with you?"

"I don't know how to thank you, Sophia," I choke out.

She turns to me, "Come on, you know I'd do anything for this kid," she tries to smile.

"Yeah, I kinda do, I'll see you later."

Once upstairs in our room, Ken is sitting in my reading chair with Wills next to her on the arm waiting for us. "Hey Buff," Will calls quietly, "how is she?"

"Sophia says she'll be ok." Faith is sitting on the bed, I go to join her. "She's with her now." I look down and grasp Faith hand, "Ok, how did this happen?"

Faith looks at me, then Ken, then the floor, "We were talking, then they were just there, like out of nowhere - "

"You mean they just materialized, like magic?" Will asks hesitantly.

Faith nods, "Nothing like about it, it was definitely some kind of magic. He said they had a Wicca who 'jammed the frequencies' and he was right. Neither of us could do anything not even telepathy."

Knowing that vampires can rarely not give away everything they have planned I question, "What did they want?"

Faith shakes her head, "That's the funny thing, the head vamp said, 'to show you how helpless you really are,' he even said he wasn't gonna kill her, 'just take a... taste," she sneers then closes her eyes. She shakes her head and exhales. She knows there will be plenty of time to beat herself up about allowing this to happen, however unfounded. Looking at Will, she continues, realizing that every word he said is vital and should be recanted while it's fresh in her mind. "It's got something to do with the prophecy, he asked me if I'd read it."

She proceeds to tell us every agonizing detail, each excruciating moment, until she finishes. The guilt she feels seems to surround her like a cloud. Putting my arm around her, I pull her to me, "There was nothing you could have done to stop it, Faith."

"Maybe not," she looks up at me then Will and Ken, "but I will find him."

No one answers, no one really needs to. We know she will and what she'll do once does. Ken finally speaks what we're all thinking, "Can you try to get some answers out of him before you stake him?"

"That'll be that plan, but I'm not promising anything." She rests her hand on my knee, squeezes then stands, "I'm going to check in on her then see if Andrew has anything in the database." She moves to the door then turns back to us, remembering something, "They were all wearing black – trousers, shirts, boots, almost like a uniform, not military, but a uniform." Narrowing her eyes, she turns to Kennedy, "Ken, I'm gonna call Vi," she looks at her watch, "she should be up by now. I want 9mms and the ultraviolet ammo - daylight bullets - whatever they're called, that they've been testing in SC-Europe; I want production stepped up and I want everyone to have them, and I want it all now. No more waiting, game's on." Then she's gone.

The rest of us just sit there quietly for a moment until Ken once again breaks the silence, "Ok, she's way too calm about this, and it's giving me a _really_ bad feeling."

"It should," I sigh, putting my hands through my hair as I stand. "You guys don't understand what it feels like to be fed on, feeling your life literally sucked out of you." Wrapping my arms around myself; I look at Will for a moment then Ken. I grab my sweats out of the drawer and pull them on over my boxers. "You know that Faith and I were both bitten by Angel, but that was different, we did it to save him, we allowed it, hell, I even forced him. But to be taken like Emma was, in a thrall, when you know what's happening but you're powerless to stop it… " I close my eyes and blow out my breath, "Let me put it this way - it's a lot more than just a mind-fuck."

Will's eyes widen, "Oh my God, the Master and Dracula... they did that when they bit you, didn't they?"

"Yeah," I look down and think to myself, why is it the victim feels the shame not the attacker?

Ken looks at me, "You told Faith about it?" What she doesn't say is 'Faith's a ticking time bomb now, right?'

"Yeah…" I sigh out, then just shake my head at the memory and pull on Faith's sweatshirt zipping it up halfway. "Look, I'm going to call the hospital. Even if she can physically go to work tomorrow, Emma's going to need some time off."

Kennedy motions for Will to stand so she can. "Let me go see what Faith's up to."

"No, Ken, don't," she looks at me quizzically. "Faith's right, game's on now. Let her make her phone calls, she needs to do this her way. If there's one thing Faith knows better than anyone, it's how to shut everything else out and concentrate on the fight." I hold Ken's gaze until she nods. "You two should get some sleep because God knows Faith and I aren't going to tonight, most likely Sophia either. We're going to need someone with their wits about them later today when we all crash."

Will puts a hand on my shoulder, "Alright, I don't know exactly how much sleep we'll get but if you guys are taking the first shift we'll take the second."

"Thanks guys, it's gonna be a long day."

**EMMA'S ROOM – 4:22 AM**

SOPHIA'S POV

If anyone would have told me when I woke up at this time yesterday that the next 24 hours were going to end like this, I would have said, no fucking way. Letting out a sigh, I look at Emma sleeping and wonder if she would have even gone out if, well, if it wasn't for what happened earlier.

And what exactly did happen earlier? Taking a deep breath, I stand by the window watching the beginnings of dawn break over the backyard. Christ, I just wish she'd wake up so I know she's ok. I go over to her and check her vitals for the 100th time tonight then go back to my perch at the window sill. I don't know why she went with them last night, I thought she was tired and was going to bed. When she came back downstairs in jeans and a T-shirt with Faith, I was shocked. She tried to play off her nervousness with a flip comment, "Just call me one twitchy South African who has to go and do something crazy to release pent up energy."

Dawn and I just laughed at the time. I knew she was still a bit freaked from earlier and felt she needed to slay. I got that completely, in fact, if she didn't go, I probably would have. There was no rush I guess, neither of us were going anywhere. We'd figure this thing out.

Yeah, then Buffy woke me up after she got the phone call from Ken. She was a basket case when Faith brought Em home. The vamp was sloppy and caused more damage with his new canines then with the amount of blood loss. Once I got her cleaned up Buffy and Faith went to strategize with Willow and Kennedy. From what little Faith said when she checked in a couple of hours ago, this looks like more than just a vamp attack. It's actually pretty amazing that more of us aren't bitten. Well, I guess those of us who manage to get bitten, don't normally survive.

I look at Emma again, Jesus, she's so lucky to be alive. I don't know what I would have done if… but, it didn't happen, so we're just not going to go there. I let out another big breath. And where is 'there' anyway? Fuck, that whole conversation before just spiraled out of control. Then reading my emotions, shit, I still can't believe she did that. But when she touched my hand... it was electric, like a jolt, a current running directly from her to me. God damn, I've never felt anything like that, it was so… intimate. Aghh, but she's my friend, I've never thought of her that way before, did I? Oh hell, she's just a kid. I mean, shit, 11 years is a long time, it's a big age difference. Yeah and why do I sound like I'm making excuses to myself? Maybe, it's because I am.

Putting my hands through my hair, I shake it out then lean on the window frame, close my eyes and start knocking my head against the molding.

"That's gotta hurt." Emma murmurs.

I snap my head to her, "Jesus, Em, how do you feel?" Walking over, I sit next to her on the bed.

"Ok, I guess, a little thirsty," she says weakly as she brings her hand to her neck, "Shit, all of that really happened? It wasn't just a _really_ bad dream?" She asks hopefully.

I shake my head as I hand her a bottled water; I can't keep the sadness from my voice "Sorry, kiddo."

Taking a healthy sip then handing it back to me she sighs and looks away. "I'm the one that's sorry, Sophia. More than you'll ever know, God, even more so now." She shakes her head, "I'm so sorry."

"Are you insane? You can't even compare..." Placing the water on her night table, I furrow my brow when I see that she's doing just that. "Look, Em, what happened between us and what that vamp did to you are not the same thing."

She shakes her head again wearily, "It's exactly the same: I used my power to take something by force that should have been offered freely."

"Emma, stop it," softening my voice, "it's not the same," I rest my hand on hers and there it is again, just like before, that buzz, that rush, that connection. I watch as her breath catches and her eyes close. I squeeze once gently then pull my hand away, "I guess we'll have to get used to that."

She opens her eyes and holds mine for a moment then looks away, "I guess." Yeah, this is going to be weird.

Slowly, I stand, I really don't think now is the best time for this conversation, "Hey, you need to rest. Why don't you try to go back to sleep, we can talk about all this later."

"I never felt anything like that before." She ducks her head down, waiting for my response.

Putting my hands in my pockets, I almost whisper as I confess, "Neither have I."

A silence blankets the room. Well, it's out there now, but neither of us knows what to say next. Finally, she catches my eye again then exhales, "Thank you."

I tilt my head to the side, "For what?"

"For patching me up, for staying with me all night," she lowers her eyes again, "for forgiving me".

"Hush, Em," I shake my head, "we're good." I can't help myself as I lean down and ruffle her hair then smooth it out, "Now get some rest, doctor's orders."

With a weak smile, she nods, "Ok." After I watch her close her eyes, I go back to the window and my thoughts.

**KITCHEN – 5:31 AM**

FAITH'S POV

The second pot of coffee of the day is ready. I pour a cup then rest my stomach against the sink as I stare vacantly out the kitchen window sipping slowly. Vi is on board, she's sending us an initial shipment by the end of the week. I'm gonna have to talk to Ken about converting one of the classrooms into a storage unit for the ultraviolet bullets. The radiation levels are acceptable for a couple of hours but storage, not a chance. We'll need a fully lined lead room. My laptop is on the kitchen table. So far, I haven't found anything about this 'Richard', but I know I will. Once Andrew is up, we'll find out all there is to know, I'm sure of it.

Sighing, I take another sip, but my mug is empty. I didn't even realize I'd finished it. I'm about to get a refill when Buffy's arms wrap around my waist and she leans her head against my back.

"Hey," she gives me a squeeze, "you hogging all the coffee again?"

A smirk comes to my face as I turn in her arms, "For a small fee, you too can have coffee." I pull her to me and kiss her gently. "So how'd you make out?" While I was on the phone with Vi, Buffy was contacting the other SC heads to try and get a lead on these vampires who are using Wicca's to aid them. B and I haven't talked about what happened; she knows I need to put my attention into getting some answers. When I'm ready, we'll talk, and she knows I'm about as far from ready as I can get right now.

"I talked to Chao-Ahn, Caridad and Kit. None of them have run into a vampire called Richard. I gave them his description and told them to be careful." She takes my mug and walks over to the coffeepot. Filling both of our mugs, she leans on the counter and hands me mine back. "Since Graciana's English is only slightly better than my Spanish, I'm going to ask Sophia to call her; I don't want anything getting lost in translation." She points to my laptop, "How about you?"

Rubbing my eyes, I sit down and push the laptop away from me, "Zip. I'll bet Andrew will find something in like two seconds."

"What about Vi?"

Ah, that's when I smile; Ken, Vi and Rona are my favorites from the first Slayer class of 2003. And although the other girls are nice enough, those three, well, we clicked. "Vi is gonna hook us up, we'll have everything we need by the end of the week."

Buffy shakes her head with a grin, "You and your pets."

"Hey," Sophia comes in and heads straight for the coffee.

We watch as she pours herself a cup then grabs the milk, "She wake up yet?" Buffy asks.

"Yeah, a couple of hours ago," she takes a sip.

We wait a beat, then realize Sophia isn't going to say anything else. Ok, my turn, "So what did she say?"

"She was hoping it was a really bad dream," she laughs then rubs her eyes and sighs, "We talked a little, then she went back to sleep." She drains her mug, "Once she gets up, it's fluids, iron and protein, ok? Whether she's hungry or not: juice, steak and eggs."

Buffy's nodding, but I'm still watching Sophia, her body language, the way she's speaking, I venture, "Are _you_ ok?"

Almost at the same time Sophia and Buffy turn to look at me, "Yeah," she says quickly, then "just tired." She tilts her head to the side, then an understanding washes over her, "Oh, yeah, I'm ok," she holds my gaze for a moment, "I told her it's ok." Grabbing another cup of coffee, she turns her back to us, "I, ah... I'm gonna go back up," then disappears through the swinging door.

B pushes herself off the counter and takes a chair next to me, "What was that, exactly?"

"On the way home from the hospital last night, Emma and Sophia had a, a thing."

She narrows her eyes at me, "Uh huh, a thing…"

"They were having a heavy conversation and Emma read her without asking. Emma felt awful about it," I sigh, then continue, "That's what we were talking about when the fucking vampires came out of nowhere." Looking down, I start to play with my coffee mug, then shake my head. Getting up, I go over to the pot to get yet another refill.

She follows me with her eyes, "What happened last night is not your fault, Faith."

Whatever calm I had for the past few hours is disappearing at a frantic rate, "Buffy, how can you say that?" Then I feel myself lose it, "I stood there like a fucking moron and did nothing while he basically raped our daughter!" The anger seems to roll right through me and I have to get it out somehow so I smash the mug into the counter and it shatters into a million pieces, half of which are now imbedded in my right hand. "FUCK!"

B jumps up and takes my hand, turning it face up, "Oh, Faith -"

"What the hell happened?" Dawn asks as she and Andrew are standing in the doorway, frozen, eyes wide.

Moving me over to the sink, B puts my bleeding hand under cool running water to help the smaller pieces dislodge themselves from my skin. "Emma was attacked on patrol last night; she was… bitten by a vampire."

"Oh my God," Dawn gasps leaning into Andrew.

Buffy continues as she cleans the specks of porcelain out of my hand, "She's ok; he didn't take a lot of blood. It was more of a message than anything else. It's tied to the prophecy somehow. Sophia is with her upstairs." B's great at the Reader's Digest version.

Dawn looks at B, me, my hand, then back to B, "She was in his thrall, wasn't she?"

Buffy nods.

"And you were restrained, made to watch?" Dawn raises her eyebrows at me.

I nod amazed, "A demon had a gun to her throat."

"You couldn't have done anything to stop it, Faith." What is it with these Summer's women and the conviction in their tone? It's damn annoying I tell ya.

I rest my head on Buffy's shoulder as she continues to pick the shards out, "Dawn, I just can't help but feel -"

"What? Responsible? They would have killed her, Faith. You know it as well as I do." She turns to Andrew, "Sounds like Richard doesn't it?"

B and I both turn to her, "How do you know -"

"Graciana just sent us an email. He's been preying on her Slayers in Argentina while they are on patrol. He restrains one, making her watch as he has a fledgling bite the other. She thinks it's some sick power trip thing." Dawn takes in our faces then raises her eyebrows at me, "So it was him?"

I nod, "Yeah."

"We should call her," Dawn looks at us, "I'm going to get Sophia."

Buffy takes another look at my hand as Dawn runs upstairs and Andrew sinks into a chair at the table. "How's Emma, really?" He asks softly. "I mean she must be very upset and hurt. A situation like that can really do a number on your head."

You know, Andrew is one of those men that make you believe there is such a thing as a really nice guy. He reminds me of Xander that way. Oh Xander, I think again and sigh, in a very selfish way, I wish he was here.

"We'll make sure she's ok, we all will," is Buffy's response. Then she looks at me, "Maybe Sophia can take a quick look at your hand after we call Graciana."

**EMMA'S ROOM– 9:12 AM**

EMMA'S POV

When I open my eyes, Sophia is walking into my room with a tray. "Hey," I mumble.

"Hey," she says back with a small smile, "you've saved me the trouble of waking you up." She flips the tray legs down, "Come on, sit up so I can put this down before I drop it or something."

I scoot up and rest my head against the headboard, "This is nice, Andrew make it?"

"Yes he did, said it was special just for you so I had to promise not to steal any." She brings over the chair from my desk and sits down next to me. "You're light-headed aren't you?"

"Just a little," I dismiss it, "but this is great, cause," I look at my clock-radio, "I have to be at the hospital in about an hour so -"

Sophia cuts me off, "Em, you're not going to work."

"Why wouldn't I?" I'm a little confused.

She pulls her chair closer and leans over, "Because you were bitten by a fucking vampire like 9 hours ago." Her voice is level but you cannot mistake the authority in it, "You're not leaving this room until I say you can."

"But, but what about the hospital?" I ask meekly.

She shakes her head, "Buffy talked to the hospital last night."

"What did she tell them?" This is all too real now; I think I'm starting to freak out.

Sophia leans back in the chair, "She told them mostly the truth: that you were attacked last night and you needed some time off to heal."

I lower my eyes to my food that's getting colder by the second. Pushing the eggs around the plate, I ask, "Where are they? Buffy and Faith I mean."

"They're downstairs; they have a lead on Richard."

I can't help it, but the mention of his name makes me drop the fork along with some bits of egg on the bed. "Shit."

"I'll get it," she gets up, cleans up the fallen food then hands me my fork. "They'll be up in a little while to check on you again and tell you what they've found; I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat." She eyes me closely, "You ok?"

Looking up at her, I nod, "Yeah," I take a bite of the steak.

"Liar," she shakes her head, "Look, I know it's too soon, but when you want to talk…" she allows her words to trail off.

Sometimes I really hate that she knows me so well, this is not one of those times. Taking another bite, I nod slowly, "I know, thanks," Head down, I ask guiltily, "Have any of you slept?"

She sighs and takes the coffee off my tray, "No, we've all been very busy taking care of you in our own way. Worry about getting your strength back, not us."

"Why don't you get some rest? I'll finish this up, I promise, I know how important it is."

She raises an eyebrow then shakes her head 'no.' "Once Kennedy and Willow are all caught up, then I'll rest up a little."

So she sits and sips her coffee as I make all gone with my breakfast. I don't want to fight with her and sometimes it's just easier to follow doctor's orders. It's funny, the doctor following doctor's orders. When I finish she takes the tray and puts it on my desk. "You ok? You must need the bathroom, right?"

"You are NOT taking me to the bathroom," ok, it's way time to put my foot down. Throwing off the duvet, I slide my feet over the edge and stand, "I'm perfectly capable -"

She catches me before I fall over, "Nice one, slick." I'm trying to concentrate on her voice and not the current flowing between us. Yeah, that lasts about a second.

"Fuck, how can Buffy and Faith even think when…" oh shit, I'm actually saying that out loud, bad Emma.

In silence, Sophia helps me down the hall to the bathroom. When I finish, she is waiting for me just outside the door. As we walk back to my room, I try to ignore the hum between us because her arm is around my waist, keeping me upright. But then she answers, "I think they just got used to it."

"Do you think it's happening now because of... what I did yesterday?" I look over to her.

She's staring at the ground as we make our slow progress back to my room, "I guess that would make sense, because it never happened before then."

"I'm sorry, Sophia; I didn't mean to... change things between us."

She stops and turns to me. Holy canoli, she is awfully close. There's suddenly a lightness in my head and chest and I know it has nothing to do with blood loss. Our eyes are locked to each others. She takes a deep breath and starts, "Emma –

"Emma!" Nicky comes racing up the stairs and wraps herself around me almost slamming me into the wall. "Oh by the Gods, you're ok, Buffy and Faith kept on saying 'wait for Sophia to come down' but I knew if I came up I'd find you awake." She gulps a breath as she maneuvers herself between Sophia and me, "So," she looks up to Sophia with a mask of seriousness on her face, "how's the patient?" God damn, talk about killing a moment, Jeeze.

Sophia just laughs, "She's doing ok, Nicky, just a little weak. Why don't you stay with her for a while? I have to go back downstairs."

"Really? Like, I can watch over her, just like you?" Ok, moment killer or not, I love this kid.

Sophia winks, "Yeah, I think you can handle it."

Nicky beams as she walks me into my room them helps me into bed. She crawls up beside me and snuggles in close, "Snuggling always makes you feel better, my Mom used to tell me so."

Laughing, I look up at Sophia, "Do you concur with that, medically speaking, of course?"

She looks at Nicky then me as she nods, "Absolutely." Then she takes the tray and leaves. Whoa, was that supposed to mean something or did I just read into that?

"Stop thinking so hard and rest," Nicky mumbles into my shoulder.

I look over to her, "Hey, are you peaking?"

"I would never," she says adamantly.

Yeah kid, that's what I used to think. Gods, I have to stop thinking about it, about Sophia, about what this is all going to mean. Will it mean anything? I'm really driving myself crazy here, "Hey Nick?"

"You're supposed to be resting," she admonishes in her best imitation of Sophia.

Chuckling I continue, "In a minute I promise. Can you tell me about your vision again, the one with the planets?"

"What, you want like a bedtime story?" there's more than a little humor in her voice.

I smooth her hair away from my face then twirl the ends mindlessly, "I just want to think about something else, you know, get my mind off... things?"

"Oh," she wraps her arm around my stomach and gives me a little squeeze, "you don't have to worry Em, I'll keep you safe."

And I laugh as I choke down the lump that has just risen in my throat, sweet Goddess, how I love this little imp. Snaking my arms around her, I give her a big hug, "Thanks Nicky."

She settles her head on my shoulder, closes her eyes, and starts her tale:

"The first thing I see is a monolith in the desert, but it is not a desert of this world. It's on the plains of Nibiru, the lost 12th planet. It's where the Gods made their home, where they watch us and wait for a time to return. The time is nearing but there's a fight going on among the Gods: some want to return in wrath, others in benevolence."

"The monolith tells a story of how the last Sole Chosen will lead the Three to Nibiru. Buffy is the last Sole Chosen and you, me and Faith are the Three. Then I see a gathering; we are there, on Nibiru with the Gods. There's a three sided pyramid in the center of the meeting place. On each side is a version of the future, of what is to come. I can't tell what is on each side; I just know that's what the cuneiform says. Willow and Dawn are still trying to teach me, but it's hard. Then it ends." She's silent for a moment then, "Em?"

"Yeah?" I say softly, wondering how much time we have left before this happens.

She looks up at me, "The mean Gods have recruited the vamps and demons here to help them, haven't they? You know, like to pave the way for them? It's all I could think about since Faith told me what happened to you when I got up."

"What else did Faith have to say?" Jesus, can someone tell this kid she's only 11? She's supposed to be worrying about homework and what's on TV tonight, not vampires and the possible end of the world.

She looks back down, "We didn't get to talk too much. They were all having a meeting in Buffy's office after they cancelled classes for the day. She said she wanted to tell me before I heard it from someone else."

Nodding I rest my chin on her head, "It'll be ok, Nicky." I close my eyes as a weariness creeps over me.

"Yeah, it has to be, right?" she asks more to herself than to me, "cause we're the good guys and the good guys are supposed to win."

Yeah, that's how it's supposed to be, babe. And that's the last thought I can remember because Nicky feels so warm and comforting, and I can't help but pull her closer to me as I fall asleep musing to myself: her Mom was right.


	9. Healing

**Chapter 9: Healing**

**LATER THAT MORNING – BUFFY'S OFFICE – 10:28 AM**

ANDREW'S POV

Buffy's sitting on her desk facing us; she looks pretty beat, so does Sophia. Faith just looks kinda feral and after earlier with the coffee cup, I'm keeping my distance. Buff puts her hands through her hair then glances around, "So what do we know?"

It's been a flurry of activity since we woke up. Buffy and Faith have spoken with the heads of the other SC's twice, Sophia got the full run down on Richard from Graciana, Willow had been on the phone with Ms. Hartness for hours, Dawn and Ken have been trying to keep the SiT's away from the main house and I've been trying to put all the pieces together as I get them.

Will starts, "The Coven is trying to put a trace on the magic used around vampire activity. The only problem with that is we're basically going to have to wait until he does it again."

"That's not an option," the words seem to seethe from Faith's mouth. God, she's freaking me out.

Willow looks from Faith to Buffy, "Ah, yeah, sorry, I meant until he _tries_ to do it again." Faith nods at this and Will continues, "They are going to have a global communication later today, sort of like a Wicca summit to see if they can find the witch or witches that are helping them."

"Good, Will, and Ms. Hartness is calling afterwards to touch base?" Buffy's good that way, she knows the answer, she's just dotting i's and crossing t's.

The redhead nods, "You bet, this is first on everyone's priority list."

Sophia speaks up next, "Graciana is having her Slayers write up detailed accounts. We thought it would be the best way not to miss any details. She'll email them to me by tonight then I'll start translating, so I should have them to you by the morning."

"That seems like a lot of time," Faith's patience is wearing thin.

Sophia turns to Faith and clenches her teeth. She takes a deep breath then slowly lets it out trying to be as tolerant as she can, "You can't rush something like this. The girls will be going over their accounts multiple times before sending them so they don't leave anything out." She holds Faith's glance, "We all want to find him."

"I know," Faith lowers her head to her hands, rubbing her face.

Thinking this is a really good time to jump in, "I've gone over bits of the prophecy, and there is actual mention of the Anunnaki using 'lower beings that are more than human' to aid them in their return. In a way it almost makes perfect sense for the vamps and witches to be working with them."

Willow and Faith both raise their eyebrows as Ken just glares at me.

"Oh, sorry, _evil_ witches, present company are totally excluded."

"See? I told you." We all turn to see Nicky standing in the doorway talking over her shoulder.

Then Emma comes into view, "Hey guys." She looks around the office, her eyes settle on Faith's bandaged hand, "What the hell happened to you?"

Faith, who was staring at her shoes since Nicky first spoke, just shrugs.

Buffy helps out, "A coffee mug got in between her hand and the kitchen counter." She jumps off her desk and wraps Emma in a huge hug, "Glad you're ok, honey." She pulls back then winks at Sophia, "Well, we knew you were in the best hands of course, snooty boots Chief of Staff and all that." She tilts her head at the senior doctor then jumps back on her desk.

"Yeah if I knew you guys were going to put me to work I would have stayed in Chicago," Sophia retorts.

It gets the desired tension-breaker-laugh, but Em is still preoccupied with Faith, who's still intently making sure the floor doesn't move under her watchful eye. Em walks over to Faith, "I'm fine, the extra sleep was nice." As she sits on the arm of Faith's chair, the Dark Slayer crosses her legs and leans on the opposite arm. Emma frowns, "So you guys gonna fill us in on what you found out while Nick and I were napping?"

We rehash it all for them, filling in all the details of what we've learned from this very long morning. Once we're done Emma gets up.

"I'm going to write my own account of what happened last night. I think it's a great idea, you should too Faith." When Faith only nods, Emma narrows her eyes as she shakes her head at her.

Catching that there's some major guilt-weirdness going on there, Sophia gets up and takes Emma by the arm. Em jumps then turns to her questioningly, "Let's go down to triage so I can remove your stitches."

Emma just looks at her, nods, then follows her to the basement.

Buffy sweeps her eyes around the room then tilts her head to the door. Probably the most graceful way she ever said 'get out now.'

**BUFFY'S POV**

Once everyone filed out and closed the door, I turn to Faith, "You better get some sleep."

"I have too much to do, I - "

Jumping down from my desk again I crouch down in front of her, "Baby, you just treated Emma like she has the plague. You need to stop blaming yourself, accept what happened and get some fucking sleep." Standing I continue, "The last thing she needs right now is you giving her the cold-shoulder."

"I am not!" She stands up right in front of me, fists clenched, glaring down in all her Faithy-ness.

Yeah, she's got me by a couple of inches, but you know what? I'm right and that's all the height I need. "You wouldn't make eye contact with her; you wouldn't even speak to her. Jesus, Faith, what do you think is going through her mind right now? Do you have any idea how much you hurt her?" I turn back to my desk and push some papers around.

"I, I," she shakes her head, "Fuck Buffy, I'm ashamed I couldn't stop him. So, no, I couldn't look her in the eye, I don't know how I ever will again." She sits back down frustrated, "I was the fucking champion of the PtB for 20 fucking years and I couldn't stop him." She runs her fingers through her hair, "I didn't mean to hurt her."

There's nothing I want to do more than to comfort her right now, but I know I can't. I need her to understand the effect her guilt is having on Emma, Hell, all of us.

"I've never felt so helpless in my life, just standing there and watching him… do that to her, god damn it, it makes me crazy. I kept thinking: if it wasn't Emma I would have tried to take the demon out. But I just couldn't take the chance, so I let him. Fuck, I let him! How can she ever trust me again?" She puts her head in her hands, "Love makes you so fucking weak," she says in disgust.

Walking back over to her I kneel down in front of her again, "Baby, I know you're having a hard time with this, but you have to stop now and get over it cause your actions are doing more harm to her than good right now." I lift her head then take her hands in mine, "And you're wrong, love doesn't make you weak, it makes you strong. It took enormous strength to wait for an opportunity to turn the tables when you're outnumbered 20:1, Faith. It's easy and weak to react blindly in a fit of rage. Whether you believe it or not, you showed incredible strength by getting the two of you out of there alive."

"I'm a jackass," she's back to sulking.

Shaking my head, I chuckle, "No, you're just you. Please, take a nap, baby? You're stalking around like you're going kill somebody, it's freaking everybody out."

"Really?"

I roll my eyes, "You've got to be kidding me. I thought Will was going to leave the room when you snapped at her. Ken is waiting for you to pounce so she can pull you off the poor person. Andrew and Dawn have been keeping their distance since you tried to become one with the coffee mug this morning. And just now I thought Sophia was going to break you in half when you shrank from Emma as she sat on the arm of your chair."

"I shrank from her?" her brow is knitted in disbelief, disregarding everything else I said.

Pulling her to the door, I shake my head and laugh, "Please?"

"I'm sorry."

I give her a quick kiss, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, babe. Go rest then find Emma and talk to her, ok?"

Nodding, she mumbles, "Deal."

She turns away but I hook her arm and pull her back to face me. Putting both hands on her shoulders I look her right in the eye, "There was nothing you or anybody could have done to stop what happened. You know, I know what I'm talking about."

Bowing her head, she sighs, "I know. I guess that's why I wanted to stop it even more. I didn't want her to have to live through what you did, what you told me it was like."

"Didn't you once tell me you can't save everybody from everything?" I try to get a little smile.

I'm rewarded with a smirk, "Yeah, but who ever listens to me?"

**MEANWHILE IN THE TRIAGE ROOM**

SOPHIA'S POV

Good God, I had to get Emma out of there. Faith is in the middle of her own little freak-out and I am not going to let her drag Em into it. Buffy knew what I was doing; we exchanged glances before I took Em downstairs. Jesus, I hope she talks some sense into her; Em really doesn't need anything else on her head right now.

Em sits on the exam table, "Did you even nap yet?" she asks dejectedly.

"No, soon though," I remove the gauze and see the gash is healing quite nicely, almost entirely closed, "right after I fix you up here, ok?"

She nods then holds still as I start to remove the stitches. Slowly, her head bows until her chin is resting on her chest. I have to pull back and stop, "Em?"

She doesn't answer.

In my sleep-deprived state, it takes me a couple of seconds to realize she's crying. "Emma?" Then I'm nervous for a moment. What do I do? What does she want me to do? Should I do anything? Mentally kicking myself, I throw the suture cutter and tissue forceps on the table. Taking a step forward, I put my arms around her. Whoa, here we go again, I think as my body hums when it touches hers. I take a deep breath then exhale, trying to concentrate on pushing the intoxicating feeling to the back of my mind. She needs a friend right now, not all this, whatever 'all this' is.

"I'm sorry," she sobs into my neck, "I just feel so... then when Faith... and she…" Emma winds her arms around my waist then just breaks down. I'm so going to kill Faith.

Rubbing my hands up and down her back, "Shhh, it's ok, just let it out."

"But Faith hates me now; she won't even look at me. I know she thinks I let him -"

I pull back from her and take her face in my hands, "Look at me," she's shaking her head 'no'. "Emma, look at me," I force her head up, "Faith does not hate you, she loves you very much. She's going through her own shit right now that she really shouldn't be putting on you. She feels responsible for what happened and thinks you're disappointed in her for not stopping it. She's not blaming you, babe, she's blaming herself."

"But there was no way she could have stopped it," she furrows her brow at me, "neither of us could, we... I... I couldn't stop him." The tears begin anew.

Drawing her back into me, "We all know that, Faith just has to realize for herself there was nothing she could have done. That little bastard did it to fuck with your heads."

"Well, he won," she says it with almost equal parts of anger and resignation.

I shake my head as I pull back again trying unsuccessfully to catch her eye, "No he hasn't, you're stronger than that, both of you are."

"I don't feel very strong right now," she sniffles, her head hung low again. Then, exhaling loudly, "Thank you," she rubs her hands along the sides of my waist; "again," she scoffs as she shakes her head. Then she looks at me and everything changes.

It's as if we both suddenly realize the position we're in: me standing between her legs, her hands gently moving up and down my sides, my own making slow circles on her back. There's this feeling, this intensity radiating from both of us and it's something I have _never _experienced in my life. It's so unbelievably strong, I can hardly stand it. But there's one thing I do know: I don't have to be an Empath demon to see she's feeling it too.

Though I don't remember consciously moving forward, I'm leaning in closer to her, it's like I'm being drawn to her. I can feel her breath on my face and now my heart is threatening to pound right out of my chest. We're so close, watching each other, neither one of us wanting to move that last inch. That is, until her fingers dig into my waist, pulling me to her. Her gaze drops to my lips, back to my eyes then there's no room left between us as her lips tentatively graze mine. Both our eyes slam shut as we reel from the strength of this new connection we share.

It's the sheer power of the kiss that knocks me out of my reverie. Slowly, I pull back shaking my head as I whisper, "I can't do this."

Her forehead drops to my shoulder and she blows out a breath, groaning in frustration.

Almost panting, still recovering from the jolts flying through my body from the brief moment our lips met, I look up at the ceiling and swallow, hard, "not like this."

Neither of us moves for what seems like ages. Then, I feel her gently nod, "I know." She sighs heavily, "I'm freaked out and needy." I hear the exasperation in her voice.

"Em," I try to stop her, I don't want her to think I'm being patronizing, or worse, rejecting her. As she lays the side of her head flush against my shoulder and tightens her arms around my waist, I realize she's thinking none of those things. I can't help but return the hug; pulling her close and rubbing my chin against the top of her head. Who said doing the right thing is easy?

I feel her mouth open, then close against my collar bone. She takes a deep breath then lets it out. The hot stream of air on my neck forces my eyes closed. Knowing she's trying to choose her words very carefully, I stay quiet and wait for her to speak, "No matter what happened with that vamp, what's going on between us is real, Sophia."

I take a breath to answer but she plows right on.

"I realize I have to deal with what he did to me last night, but I need for you to know something," she pulls away to look at me, "this," her eyes never waver from mine as she waves a hand between us, "it does _mean_ more."

All I can do is nod.

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 1:52 PM**

FAITH'S POV

I've been awake for about a half hour, but I just don't feel like going downstairs and facing the music. As much as I hate to admit it, B was right, after a few hours sleep, I feel a lot better. And I know I've been acting like a fucking jackass.

At some point during my nap B crawled into bed with me. She's still sleeping; an arm and a leg thrown over me, holding my back flush to her chest. I don't want to wake her, but I want to see if Emma's ok, so I close my eyes and send out a vibe to her. Just like a 'hey', nothing more, just to kinda see what sort of response I'd get. You know, see if she's angry with me.

It takes a minute, that seems like hours, but she sends me a 'hey' back. Then, 'I'm talking with Dawn and Andrew, doing a descriptive profile of Richard on the Mac.'

'Fuck, why didn't I think of that?'

'Because you were exhausted maybe? Are you feeling better?' she asks.

I shake my head; she's always thinking about everybody else, 'Yeah, how are you?'

Again there's a pause, 'Ok, but can I talk with you and Buffy later?'

'Of course, Em, you know you don't even have to ask.'

I can almost hear her intake of breath, 'It's complicated.'

'Let me wake her up, we'll be down in a minute.'

Immediately she responses, 'NO'

'Whoa, ok, relax.'

Pause, 'Sorry, she just went upstairs like an hour ago, let her sleep.'

'Ok,' I take a breath, 'Em?'

'Yeah?'

'I'll tell you again in person, but, I'm really sorry.'

This time it's a really long pause, 'Faith, you have nothing to be sorry for. It was a fucked up night. It wasn't your fault; it wasn't either of our faults. We'll talk later, ok?'

'Ok.'

I turn around to face B and give her a little kiss as try to extract myself from under her limbs.

"No, more sleep now," she begs, snuggling in.

Rolling her onto her back, "That's right babe, go back to sleep."

"No," she pulls me into her, "we sleep now."

Knowing what the Scooby gang must have had to deal with, during the infamous Cave-Slayer debacle, I chuckle, "You sleep now, B." Kissing her forehead I get out of her grasp and head to the shower.

Once downstairs, I find Emma on the back deck sitting with Sophia. Not talking or anything, just chilling on the deck steps. I head to the fridge and grab a few beers thinking to myself, 'ok nice and relaxed like.' I pop the tops then head outside.

I call out, "Hey guys."

"Hey," they reply together, then look at each other and laugh a little.

Walking over to them I hand them each a beer, "I figure since no one is working this afternoon, a libation would be nice."

Sophia gets up, "Thanks Faith but I'm gonna go and let you two talk."

"You don't have to go," I offer.

Now standing she looks at me "Yeah, I do." Then she turns to Emma, "I'll be with Dawn." Ok, ouch.

Emma nods then takes a sip of her beer.

Sitting on the step next to Em I put my beer between my feet. "You know, it's awkward times like this that I miss smoking."

"Don't let Buffy hear that," she turns to me.

I smile, "She knows I miss it sometimes, doesn't mean I'm going to start again." I take a huge gulp of my beer and decide to just say it, "I'm sorry I let you down Em. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him. I couldn't take the chance the demon would shoot you." Turning fully to her, I fold one leg under the other, "You know I would have done anything I could to stop it, even take your place - " That's where she stops me.

"Faith, stop," She lays her free hand on my thigh, "I know, and it's not your fault, so just stop, ok?"

I place my hand over hers, "I didn't have to be a jackass this morning, I am so sorry Emma. I just didn't know how to act around you. I thought you were disappointed in me for not protecting you from that piece of filth."

"Goddess, help me, and you were so worried you wouldn't be a good parent?" She shakes her head, "I realize I was kinda out of it, but you took out the demon, the vamp that bit me and I think half the others by yourself, Faith. As soon as you knew the demon, shit, what was his name?"

I look down, "Solomon."

"Right, as soon as you knew Solomon couldn't shoot me, you stopped it. Don't you get it? You _did_ stop it." She leans into me, "Thank you for saving my life, again."

Putting my arm around her, I give her a squeeze, "So, on a scale from 10 to 1, exactly how pissed is everyone at me? Sophia looks like an 11 maybe a 12…"

"Sophia's not happy with your reaction to me this morning, that's all." She waves her hand as if to dismiss it. "She'll get over it."

Narrowing my eyes at her, I venture, "So what's going on there?"

"Huh?" She's busted, total deer-in-the-headlights.

I nod, "It's ok." I take a swig of my beer then put it down between my feet again. "No big, you don't have to tell me anything."

"Not really much to tell," she finishes her bottle then starts playing with the label.

Raising my eyebrows, "I so doubt that, but like I said, it's cool."

"Remember when I said earlier 'it's complicated'?"

"Gotcha," I nod.

She shakes her head, "I don't know, I mean I _really_ don't know."

"I understand more than you realize." I look at her, "It's powerful, right?"

She turns to me, "Fucking intense would probably be a better description." She puts her head in her hands, "Jesus, I never felt anything like it."

"And you never will," I smirk. Yeah, I had a feeling this was gonna happen.

"God, Faith," she runs her hand through her hair, "It's, it's too much. I don't think I can handle it right now. There's just too much going on here," she waves her hand around, "and here," she points to her head, "and here," she softly sighs as she taps her chest.

This is weird for us. We never talk about _feelings_ like this. She talks to Buffy about the squishy stuff. She tells me funny stories about the nameless, faceless people she dates. She doesn't tell me about _real_ relationships, but then, I guess she's never really had one.

She goes back to playing with her beer bottle, "I don't even know if anything's going to come of it. Like I said there's too much going on right now, end of the world and all. So we're just putting it on the back burner. You know, until we can think it through."

"Sounds like you've already _thought_ way too much. Some things don't need to be thought through; they just need to be done." I stand then turn to her, "Look Em, don't make the same mistakes Buffy and I did. Well, I actually doubt you could make all of them." I shake my head and laugh to myself, "Just, don't waste precious time, you can never get it back."

She looks up at me then back down, "I'm afraid I'll fuck it up, Faith. I don't know how to do relationships. I'm good for one, ok sometimes two months, tops." Managing to peal the entire label off cleanly, she starts to stuff it into the empty bottle. "I can't do that to her, I can't hurt her like that."

"Then don't."

Snapping her head up at me, "Do you think I want to?"

Now I know exactly how Ken felt when we were in the waiting room at Wolfram & Hart. Emma sounds like she's read the script, and is now throwing my own words back at me. Sighing, I shake my head, "No, I don't think you want to. I think you don't trust yourself not to." I sit back down next to her. Putting my arm around her, I continue, "Look, I've been in your shoes, I know exactly how you feel. I just don't want you to throw something away without giving it a chance then regret it later."

Her head is now propped up in her hands, elbows resting on her knees, "I know; I'm just really confused."

"What does Sophia have to say?"

She smirks, "She thinks I'm freaked out and needy." Then she sighs, "Ok, I said I was freaked out and needy. She actually hasn't _said_ much at all. She knows there's more than friendship between us, she knows it's real, she wants to give me time to get my head together about what happened last night before we think about taking it further."

"Sounds like you got a good deal there." I look her straight in the eye, "You should talk to Buffy, Em; she has some insight on how the other half thinks."


	10. Twenty First Century Slayer

**Chapter 10: Twenty-First Century Slayer**

**ONE WEEK LATER – REC ROOM – 5:02 PM**

DAWN'S POV

This is the most unnatural thing I think I have ever seen and that's saying quite a lot considering all I've witnessed in my life. I don't know why it's so disturbing; maybe it's that we are finally taking this fight into the 21st Century; maybe it's because it's so far from the 'closeness of the kill' I know she espouses; maybe it's the slightly psychotic look in her eye right now. I'm not sure but there's one thing I'm certain of: I cannot accept the sight of Faith with a gun in her hand.

When Willow hacked into the Army's Special Forces simulation training server we knew Faith would be all over Andrew to modify the program. So in the two days since Will "borrowed" the simulation software, my guy turned the armies of enemy soldiers into vampires and a host of demons. Throw in a holographic image screen, complete with sensors and a modified target practice 9mm, spelled by Willow to the proper heft and kick of a fully loaded mag, and we have an incredibly realistic shooting range without having to waste any precious ammo. We still have quite a way to go on the demons, but Faith wanted to test it out and Andrew needed a well-deserved nap.

Now here we are, she's testing the program and I'm making notes on both its and her performance. It's not so much that I'm shocked she's such a good shot; on the contrary, she excels at anything related to wielding a weapon. There's just something eerie watching her. It's in the precision she squeezes the trigger; the way her eyes scan the 10' tall by 5' wide sensor laden hologram screen; her very stance: legs shoulder-width apart, both hands firmly wrapped around the hard steel. Then it hits me: it's the coldness, the almost systematic way she dispatches her targets, one after the other. It reminds me of the Faith I haven't seen since I was I kid, one I hoped I'd never see again.

She's been completely consumed with finding Richard and mastering the program. If she's not working on one, she's on the other. The rest of us have worked it into the mix of our other duties, but not Faith, the woman is on a mission. Even Nicky is feeling a bit on edge due to Faith's single-mindedness. The poor kid feels kicked to the curb, and she worships Faith so much, the poor thing is hurting. I brought it up a little while ago, that's why we are now here in silence.

Sighing, I realize, she needs time to process what I've said and not take it as a criticism of her parenting. I haven't walked this thin a line with her since she first came back to Sunnydale. I know this coolness will pass, but it still freaks me out when it happens.

"Faith?" It's Kennedy calling from the top of the stairs.

Never moving her eyes from the screen she calls back, "Shooting."

On screen, two vamps race towards her; 'pop, pop' and they're dust. It's funny, on TV and in film, gun shots always sounds like a loud 'bang', but they're really more like a dull 'pop'. Shrugging to myself, I look at her kill ratio. Why am I not shocked: KILLS 137, MISSES 0, like I said, so not a surprise.

"Hey," Ken joins us. She nods to Faith, "You wanna take them out on patrol tonight?"

Faith looks at me then back at Ken, "Yeah. Here, let me punch in your code so you can give it a whirl. It's so fucking cool." Faith wiggles her eyebrows, "Yeah baby, we're slaying in the 21st century, now!"

I stand, "Faith, can you look this over first? I want to make some changes to the program, let me know if you agree."

She takes my clipboard and reads over the list carefully, makes some notes on the bottom then returns it to me. "You now have my two cents."

"Cool. Ken, you can go ahead; I'm going to make a copy of the program and work on the offline version. That way you two can continue 'honing your skills'." I turn to leave then stop and narrow my eyes at them, "And don't think I don't know this is just going to turn into a wicked competition between you two," I mock-scold.

They laugh and it feels like ages since I heard them do that. You know, in a genuine way, not the forced laughter from the lame jokes we're all guilty of telling this past week.

It's quiet as I make my way to my office. I'm thinking I'll be able to make the modifications to the program then try to piece together some of the cuneiform Nicky pointed out from her latest vision by the time everyone gathers for dinner. Then when Faith and Ken leave for patrol, or should I say hunting for Richard, I'll work with Andrew to add in some more of the demon profiles into the program.

"Hey," Sophia walks in, "don't mean to interrupt your work, just wanted to say goodbye."

Getting up from behind my desk I come over to her, "You need a ride to the airport?"

"No," she looks down, "Emma's gonna drop me off on the way to the hospital, it's her first day back, well, I guess night back."

We haven't had time for a full-blown conversation about what's going on between them, but she told me the highlights. She's trying to accept that she's attracted to a woman, let alone that it's Emma. Then Em gets attacked? Why is it that all the super intense emotional things have to happen at the same time? "You think she's ok to go back?"

"Yeah, she's a tough kid, it will probably do her good, get her mind off stuff," she smiles.

I nod at her, "And what about you? You ok?"

"Maybe I need to go back to work too, you know, get my mind off stuff," she winks at me. "Seriously, I'm fine. We'll talk in a couple of days ok?"

Giving her a big hug, "If you don't call me, I'm calling you."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Hey, you ready?" Emma pokes her head in.

Sophia turns to her, "You bet," then looking back to me, "See ya, Dawn."

They both move to leave, then I remember, "Oh, Sophia, wait. Can you give me a call when you get your schedule? I have to arrange your shipment of UV ammo, not to mention transporting a firearm over state lines to an unlicensed individual. Gods, how many laws are we breaking?"

"Not as many as the lives we're saving," she says very seriously. "I'll call you tomorrow morning, ok?"

**LATER THAT EVENING – LAKE VIEW CEMETARY – 4:42 AM**

KENNEDY'S POV

Ok, these UV bullets are fucking awesome. If we had these babies during the fight with the First, we wouldn't have lost nearly as many girls as we did. I can't help but shake my head, because as much as I love our new weapons, I think Faith is _in love_ with our new weapons. We came out looking for an army of vamps and so far, we haven't been disappointed. We've lit up about 30 vampires and a couple of demons. Damn, we didn't even break a sweat.

It's wild to watch actually; the bullet explodes into a burst of light on impact, so there's this flash of light, then the vamp flames up then turns to dust. Andrew told us the radioactive fluid resembles the characteristics of sunlight, hence the deadly potency to vampires. I'm trying not to be morbid, but whatever the science behind it, I love to see them light up before they dust.

"Ken?" Faith calls to me.

I run over to her, "What's up?"

"This last one, he told me where a nest was, you game?" Damn she's got an evil glint in her eye. I guess I would too if Emma was my daughter. Don't get me wrong, I feel like Emma's family, but I can see Faith's parental _need_ to find the bastard who hurt her daughter. It's a horse of different color.

I take out my cell, "You got it, let me call the house for some back up. I have a couple of senior Slayers who could help out."

"I'm going now; tell them to meet us there," she turns to go.

I put my arm on her shoulder stopping her, "No, Faith." Fuck, did I just say that?

"What?" She doesn't believe it either.

Pulling her to a stop, "Look, we aren't going anywhere without back up." I raise my gun, "These don't change all the rules."

She rolls her eyes at me, then tilts her head, "_Alright, alright!"_

I take out my cell and call the SiT house, "Hey Jen, did I wake you? Cool, I need you to grab a couple of girls, ahh Liz and Claudine, and meet me and Faith at," I look at her "what's the address?"

"37-82 Denison," she sighs out. Jeeze, she would have driven me crazy if I had to train her.

"Jen? Yeah, it's 37-82 Denison, how fast can you be there? We have a nest situation, so take the 9mms and load up on ammo. Ok, cool see you in 20." I hang up, "See only 20 minutes and we'll have someone covering our backs."

"Hmm," Faith scoffs, itching to leave, "back in the day, B and I would just go in and dust 'em. We didn't worry about back up." She scowls at me.

I raise my eyebrows and ask, "How many other Slayers were 20 minutes away?" I ask knowingly.

"None," she rolls her eyes again.

I smile, "Exactly my point. You're not on your own anymore, Faith." I raise the gun with one hand and pat my chest with the other, "There are people behind you, you're not alone in some God-forsaken hell dimension, ok?"

"Ok," she grudgingly replies.

I tilt my head towards her, "And you've got more reasons to stay alive then most, so we play by the rules, ok?"

"Ok," she nods, agreeing in earnest this time.

I clap her on the back as we walk over to her bike, "Come on, Buffy would tear me to pieces if something happened to you when you were out on patrol with me."

"That's a fight I'd love to see," she laughs hard.

Shaking my head, "I wouldn't, you should have seen her prowling around when you came back from Sanal. I thought we were all on borrowed time."

By the time we get to the nest, the girls are just getting out of their car. Jen is handing out the guns, ammo and stakes. "You two ok with supplies?"

We nod. Jen's ok, a little too much by the book for Faith's taste, but then anyone who sits _near_ a book can get on Faith's nerves. She does a good job helping me train the girls, so she's fine by me. She's no Sara, but then I won't let any of the girls get that close again. It hurts too much when you lose them.

Taking a look around the house, we see the tell-tale signs of vamps: blacked out windows, no birds or other animals nearby. I take Liz and Claudine with me to the back, Faith and Jen will hit from the front.

The girls know to follow my lead so they wait as we stake it out, making sure the vamps are inside and looking to bed down before dawn breaks in another hour. The house would seem empty to anyone but us. Concentrating on listening, we can hear them moving about inside. I give Faith one beep on her cell, then she busts in the front as I kick in the back door.

Two vamps are in the kitchen, they jump up from the table and move to me. I take out one, Liz the other. Four more come streaming in, now it's becoming a fight. I level my aim and get one in the chest – dust. Liz and Claudine each get one, then Liz's gun jams. Claudine takes out the other. Ok, close, but good back up there. We wait, but no one else comes in. Liz clears her weapon and we move on.

Hearing the barrage of gun-fire at the front of the house, we quickly move inside. The place is crawling with vampires, like every freaking one in Cleveland is here. They are frenetically coming at us. We empty our clips, reload, then empty them again. The kill numbers are getting too high to count. We're basically shooting anything that's not one of us and the vamps are giving us their own little light show. Slowly making our way through the hallway, we meet up with Faith and Jen. The ground floor is secure, so we start to climb the stairs while they go to the cellar.

At the top, it's eerily quiet; can anyone say "trap"? One by one we clear the bedrooms. We find a vamp or two, but nothing like it was downstairs. Not liking that hardly any were up here, I motion the girls to head back down. I stop thinking when I hear rapid gun-fire downstairs. The girls follow as I run down to the cellar.

The shooting has stopped by the time we get there. Jen is sitting on the floor against a box, one arm slack in her lap, the other holding her gun on the vamp Faith has pinned to the wall. There are about 20 mounds of ash littering the dirt floor. "Whatcha got there Faith?" I ask not understanding why the vamp is still around.

"He took Jen's gun then shot her with it." She slams him against the wall again, "I was explaining how I didn't like that."

Nodding I check Jen's arm, it's pretty fucked, but she'll be ok. Emma will look at when we get home. "Why is he still around Faith?" Can I tell you I have a really bad feeling?

"He was there last week, Ken," she sounds kinda weird, like her cadence is too even.

Nodding again, I move closer to her, "Where's your gun Faith?"

"Don't need it right now," she says between her teeth, her face inches from the vamp, who is young and very, very scared.

"I have it Ken," Jen says as Liz helps her stands up. Liz takes over covering the vamp.

Trying to keep Faith in this tranquil state, "Do you want to bring him back to house and see what he knows?"

"No," she leans her forehead against his, "I want to kill him Ken, but I want to kill him real slow. I want to make it last a real long time." She's resting her whole body on him now, "a real long time."

Ok, the freaky thing is, she's calm, albeit, way too calm, but calm. This is what Willow was talking about when she told me stories of when they were in high school and let me tell you, she's scaring the shit out of me. "Faith, let's bring him to the house and get some information out of him." The vamp looks at me as if he just saw Christ, little does he know I'm just going to let her kill him after he talks.

"I can't let Emma see him, Ken; she's been doing really well this week." She states as if I haven't been living there the past week. Then she turns to me, "Can't we talk to him here? I won't take very long I promise," her voice is sugary sweet now, almost like a kid. Damn, if I were him, I'd be pissing my pants right now.

Hoping she'll listen to me, I shoot out an idea, "Look, Faith, why don't you take Jen on the bike. Then you can call Emma and ask her how to take care of Jen's arm. We'll take," I nod to him, "Name?"

"J-J-John," he stutters

"Ok, we'll take John to the lead room, and ask him some questions. Then when you're finished patching up Jen, you can ask him some too. How does that sound?"

Ignoring me, she just stares at him, "Where's Richard?" she asks very low.

"I-I-I-I don't know," he stammers.

She leans closer and twists his arm until it breaks. Tilting her head, "You sure?" she twists it again until it snaps out of the socket, "cause I don't think I believe you." She lets go so it hangs limp.

"AHGGGGG," he screams.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, "Holy shit, Faith, stop," I don't know if I can watch this.

"In a second Ken," she turns back to him and grabs the other arm, "Where is Richard?" She repeats very slowly.

"I-I-I r-r-really don't know," he pleads.

Faith takes a stake out of the back of her jeans and rests it on his chest. Not the left side where his heart is but the right and presses it in very slowly. "I can go all night and day, John, how long can you go?" She asks menacingly as she turns the stake gradually imbedding it into him.

Again he screams. Faintly, in the distance, we can hear sirens.

"Faith," now I try to pull her away from him, "we gotta go, the police are coming."

"In a second Ken," she shrugs me off then leans on the stake sinking it further into him. "Where's Richard?"

Now he does piss his pants as he whimpers, "He's in a house on Payne Avenue, don't…please…"

She swallows, "House number?" She takes the stake out and lays it over his heart.

He closes his eyes.

Then she asks again pleasantly, "What's the number, John?"

"It's-it's 98 Payne Ave," he hangs his head in defeat.

Faith leans back, no longer touching him. "Thank you, John," she smiles and pats his face. Then she looks at him thoughtfully before turning to go, slowly walking towards the steps. Thank fucking God that's over. I turn to follow her but like a flash, she's on him again, "Emma said 'don't' too, you fucker," as she slams the stake into his chest. He explodes into dust. She puts the stake in her back pocket, picks up her gun from Jen and starts up the stairs. "Come on Jen, I'll get you home on the bike, it's quicker, then I'll take a look at you." She's so laid-back, it's creepy.

Jen looks at me then follows her upstairs quickly. The police must only be a couple of blocks away by now. The rest of us haul ass to Jen's car. Driving away slowly so we don't attract too much attention, we just make it out of there. I realize I'm going to have to talk to Faith about this. Fuck that, maybe I'll just talk to Buffy. That was too fucked up. I heard stories of what she did to Wes, but that was…

"Ken?" Liz asks from the back.

I shake my head, "I know Liz, I'll talk to Buffy - "

"No, don't, I would have done the same thing if he did that to my family. If I were Emma, I would want Faith to have done that, because we need to stop Richard; whatever it takes, right Claud?"

Claudine, who's riding shotgun nods, "I gotta say yeah, Faith took it a little far, but then, I don't know, did she? What would you have done if it was Willow, Ken?"

What a fucked up world we live in when torture under the false pretense of sparing life is not only condoned, but applauded. The only thing that makes it worse is that they're right. If it were Willow, I would do exactly the same thing. Why the hell did I try to stop her? These 17 year old kids had such a clear vision of right and wrong, good and evil. It's no wonder the shadow men chose teenage girls to be their Slayers. It's easy to be self righteous and guiltless when you've only barely tasted life.

When we get to triage, Jen is sitting on the exam table and Emma is covering her arm with Silvadene burn cream. Jesus, it looks worse here than it did in the cellar. "Hey, we thought you'd still be at the hospital." Nodding at Jen's arm, "How does it look?"

Emma turns to me, jaw set, she's all business, "She'll be fine. One of the other residents is covering my last couple of hours. It was a rough first day back." She looks back to Jen, "Use the cream twice a day, and take ibuprofen for pain. You should be fine in a couple of days."

"Thanks, Em," she slides off the table, "God, what did you guys do without a doctor for so long?"

They all look at me, "We managed, Willow knew some healing spells and we all knew how to stitch each other up and dress wounds from Sunnydale." There were a couple raise eyebrows then some shrugs. "Where's Faith?"

Jen looks up at me, then Emma sighs, "She's in the lead room, getting more ammo."

Then Faith is in the doorway, "So who's coming?"

"We just need to load up," Liz says then motions Claudine to follow.

Why do I think this is a very bad idea? She's going back out? Now?

Before I can say anything Faith turns to me, "Look Ken, I know you think we need to wait, or plan, or something - "

"Nah, just let me grab some more clips too, maybe he hasn't been alerted yet. You never know, we might surprise him."

She smiles then gives Emma a hug and makes her way upstairs.

Emma grabs my arm, "Kennedy, please make sure she doesn't do anything crazy." She thinks for a moment, "Well, you know what I mean."

I squeeze her shoulder and smile, "You got it," then go to load up on clips. I'm thanking the God's it's daylight, we need as much help as we can get.

It doesn't take us long to find the house. When we do, the door is wide open. At first I'm thinking "trap" again, but after we scout it out, we see it's abandoned. One of the vampires from the Denison Street house must have phoned and tipped them off here. They probably figured one of them was going to talk, so why take a chance?

Remarkably, Faith takes it in stride, figuring at least we're getting closer to him. That is until we find Richard's letter to her posted on the mirror above the fireplace in his flowing handwriting. I read it over her shoulder:

_My Dear Faith,_

_I am so sorry to have missed you this morning. Your reputation has preceded you as we were alerted to your impending visit. I've also been told you have new toys. How exciting for you! We will meet again soon, but you must be patient and try not to spoil it, there are plans that cannot be changed._

_Perhaps next time you can bring your little Canadian with you. I'd love for my new pet to taste how sweet she is. Would you be kind enough to bear witness again? That was great fun last week with your older daughter, wasn't it? She's quite a striking young lady, enchanting really; perhaps it's the witch in her? The smell of her blood reminded me of a lovely Wicca Healer I had the pleasure of draining some time ago in the Yucatan. Do you recall the year, Faith?_

_Until we meet again,_

_Richard_

Holy fuck, like she really needs another reason to kill this bastard. She's so angry she's shaking. Man, for a second I think she's gonna torch the place. It takes a couple of shots of Richard's very old brandy to calm her down, and when she finally is, we go home. I take the letter to Dawn, she and Andrew will figure something out. I also take the brandy, hell, why not?

By the time we crawl upstairs it's almost 7am. We go to our respective rooms then wave across the hallway. As I'm trying to sleep, I kept flashing on Faith shooting down vampires in the cemetery, then her torturing that vamp, then the rage in her eyes as she read that letter. But my thoughts kept going back to John, and how the 21st Century Slayer went back to the stake to finish him off. I'm sure there's some poetic justice in that, I'm just too tired to figure it out.

**NEXT AFTERNOON – BUFFY'S OFFICE – 3:12 PM**

BUFFY'S POV

When Faith came in this morning I was heading for the shower. Never one to miss an opportunity to talk after an extended night of slayage, I convinced her to join me, not that that was a hard task. As she held me under the spray of the shower, she told me all about her night and morning. Her pain was evident; her control, noticeably dwindling. She needed to be close, and I try to never again miss an opportunity to give her what she needs. Her torturing the vamp should worry me, but I really don't give a shit if she kept him in agony for days on end. Yeah, I know it should: just do the job, don't get emotionally involved… but I can't, not this time; you just can't get any more emotionally involved. Goddamn, Richard's letter bugs me. He knows far too much about us. We need to step up the research.

Her only bright note was the outstanding performance of the UV guns. In all the fire fights, only one gun jammed, and it was quickly cleared. Although never a weapon I respected, it seems these guns can really make a world of difference. She couldn't give me hard numbers because there were so many, but she thinks they dusted well over 75 vampires last night, and that is huge.

We talked some more as she crawled into bed and I got dressed. Then I let her get some sleep and went downstairs to my office, promising to wake her by 4:00 at the latest. It's been a pretty full day, a bit of back and forth with the other SC Headquarters, trying to track something down on Richard. I don't understand why we can't get information on his background. Vi said she had a weak lead in Pulborough in Southern England and was flying over to check it out.

So I look at the wall across from my desk and its 6 clocks, one for each of the SC's. I check our time, then look at Switzerland's to see it's almost 9:15 pm, that means it's nearly 8:15 in the UK. Vi said she'd call tonight, so I'm trying to fill the time by going through the paperwork I've neglected the past week.

"Hey, are you busy?" Emma says from my doorway.

I look up, "Not really, just waiting on a phone call, come on in." She looks so, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind."

I cock my head towards the couch, motioning for her to sit down, "You want to talk about it?"

"Kinda," she sits.

Ok, this is like pulling teeth. "You upset Richard slipped away last night?"

"Oddly, no, Faith will find him; I have no doubt about it." She shakes her head, "It's funny, she's so intent on finding him and, well, you know… that I haven't thought about it. It's like I'm so sure she will, it's one less thing I have to worry about, you know?"

Nodding, I let out a little laugh, "Yeah, she had the whole retribution thing down. She still feels guilty" I watch Emma lower her head then nod, "it's her way of making it up to you."

"I know, and I know nothing I say will ever make her feel that I don't blame her."

I nod again, "Welcome to my world," I say smirking.

She sits, looks at her shoes, the clocks on my wall, my desk then finally me, "That's really what I wanted to talk about." She takes in my questioning look, "How did you know?"

"Huh?" totally lost, I furrowing my brow at her, "Know what?"

"That you loved Faith."

I look down at my desk then back at her and say softly, "I always knew."

"But, you guys... I mean it wasn't until I came here with you that you..."

Leaning forward, "That's a really long story," I tilt my head to the side, "What's up, Em?"

She pushes out a huge breath, "I don't know what Faith told you, but I'm kinda freaked out about what happened, well, what's happening between me and Sophia. That this is so completely…" she blows out another breath, "I mean, I've been with a lot of people but…" she stops again, "Faith said earlier this week that I should talk to you about it." She laughs, "She said you had insight into how the other half thinks."

Whoa, ok, Faith told me about Emma reading Sophia without her permission and that Em was all broody. But 'how the other half thinks'… Hmmm. "Got a couple of hours?" I ask jokingly.

"Actually, I do," she soberly responds, "I don't have to be at the hospital until 8:00."

Sitting back in my chair, "Why don't you tell me what's going on with you and Sophia?"

"I don't really know what's going on Buffy," she shakes her head then rubs her eyes. "We were talking, then I got this idea of us being together, then I read her and she kinda had the same thought. Now whenever we touch it's like there's these jolts running though us. And then we kissed and now it's like I can feel her, like right now, I can feel her breathing, her heart beating, that's she kinda stressed and really tired. I swear I'm not trying to read her; it's like I just know, I can't cloak it or turn it off. God, I could even feel her getting further from me when she flew home yesterday." She shakes her head again, "Is this what you feel with Faith? Because, let me tell you, I _never_ felt like this before." She puts her head in her hands, "It's freaking me out."

Trying to take in everything she said in that long stream, seemingly without even taking a breath. I raise my eyebrows as I utter one word, "Kissed?" I can't help the grin on my face.

"Buffy!" she rolls her eyes then laughs, "Yes, kiss, as in singular, duration: 2 seconds, but it was long enough for me to know this is not just another 'favor of the week' as she would call it." She looks at my clocks, the door, then pleadingly back at me.

Holding up my hands, I lean back in my chair and nod; she _does_ need to hear this, "The first time I saw her she was dancing at a nightclub in Sunnydale..."


	11. Onus

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Thieving Magpie who thought B/F was too rushed in the beginning of AECR. After re-reading, I agree. You see, I had it all worked out in my head but I guess I never penned it properly. So without further ado here's some insight into what Buffy was thinking all those years ago.**

**Chapter 11: Onus – All from Buffy's POV**

**BUFFY'S OFFICE – 3:29PM**

"The first time I saw her she was dancing at a nightclub in Sunnydale. I thought a vamp had taken her outside to feed on her. So I grabbed my friends," I stop and sigh when I realize only Will is left, "Will and some others, went out back to rescue her. Faith was tossing the vamp around like a rag doll, having fun with him, you know? Anyway, she turned to me, reached over and plucked my stake out of my hand then dusted the vamp." I smile warmly, "I think it was love at first sight."

"Ok, I already don't get it," Em leans forward in her chair.

I laugh when I see Emma's confused expression, "I was an incredibly self-obsessed 17 year-old, very straight, very uptight, senior in high school. I was also THE Vampire Slayer, as in the one and only, and was desperately trying to get over the fact that I sent my vampire lover to hell after Willow returned his soul to him." Again, I get the stare.

"Oh, wait, Angel, right?" She ventures.

"Right," I'm thanking the Gods for idle gossip so I don't have to explain that one. "To get right down to it, I was scared of Faith. I was afraid of how she lived her life, of how she embraced it. 'Want, Take, Have' it was her favorite expression. It embodied her to a T. Oh and how she called me on it too. She once said to me: 'You need me to toe the line because you're afraid you'll go over it, aren't you, B?' Man, I wonder if she knew how right she was."

Emma leans back, "So she went to work for the bad guys?"

"No, first, I ignored her feelings, shut her out of my life, lied to her about Angel," I look down and sigh, "and let her take the fall alone for killing the Deputy Mayor. It wasn't until after I completely pushed her away that she went to work for the Mayor."

She shakes her head, "I still don't understand. Why did you do those things?"

"Because I was afraid, I was afraid of how I felt about her, hell I was afraid that I could 'feel' her period. You have to realize, there weren't a bunch of Slayers around. Before Faith there was Kendra, and I never got the tingles from Kendra. And before Kendra, I was alone. Faith made me feel things I never felt before and I was petrified."

Emma nods in complete understanding.

Dropping my head down, "I was afraid of how I felt, afraid to tell her, my mom, my friends, God I was such an ass. So I buried it and pushed it away, her away. She was so fragile then too. Yeah, she had the tough girl thing going on then too, but I saw right though it. She had been through so much, had lost so much, was so alone. She came here looking for help, acceptance, love, and I turned my back on her. So she found all those things with _him_."

Em cocks her head to the side, "Buffy, she made the choice to go to work for him."

"Yes, she did." I nod then look up at her, "You know she saved my life that night? Faith and I were fighting because she was running away, leaving town. Then we were attacked by vampires that worked for the Mayor. The leader, Mr. Trick, he had me beaten and pinned against a wall, ready to drain me. She could have left, but she saved me, dusting him then running away, right to the Mayor." I shake my head, "I told Giles later that night I wasn't going to give up on her." Laughing to myself, you can hear the disgust in my tone, "What a joke. That's exactly what I did." Looking away, "It was easier to hate her, blame her, than admit I loved her, even to myself."

Emma sits forward again, "It sounds like you put an awful lot of the blame on yourself." She pauses, leaning on the arm then tucking her feet underneath her, "Buffy, Faith told me some of the things that happened back then, and it sounds very different from what you're saying here."

"I know she didn't make it any easier by going to the enemy, becoming evil, killing innocents. But I can't help but think if I wasn't so afraid of my own feelings; it wouldn't have turned out so... oh God, so incredibly fucked up." I get up and join her on the couch. Facing her, I continue, "It freaked me out that I was falling for her, optimal word there being 'her'." I shake my head again, "Have I mentioned how uptight I was?" Blowing out a breath, "I wasn't like you and Faith; so open to being with women as well as men. It never even occurred to me until I met her. And when it did, it freaked me out. I didn't know how to handle it."

"The worst part is I knew she loved me back. Actually, looking back at it, everyone knew how we felt about each other: my Mom, my friends, Giles, Angel, Robin, hell, even the Mayor. You could see it in the way we looked at each other, how we touched," I laugh, "even in the way we fought." Shaking my head, "In a classic manipulative move, I used that love to convince her to go to prison when I found her in LA after she woke up from the coma." I spit my breath out, "God I was so fucking self-righteous. How could she stand me, let alone love me?"

Shaking my head again, I continue, "So she went to prison, and I tried my best to forget her. It worked for quite a while too, until I died."

"She told me she felt it when you died. How she felt so alone."

Leaning back against the armrest, I smile, "When they brought me back, the first thing I felt was her. I could close my eyes and 'feel' her breathing, her heart beat, her confusion. I didn't understand what it was at first. I thought I came back wrong, not whole and what I was feeling was my other self that didn't come back with me. I thought it was just another fucked up thing I was going to have to live with."

"When did you realize it was her?" Emma asks.

"Right after Willow and Tara did the spell that killed some alternate dimension hitchhiker that followed me back. I mean, that's when I knew for sure, I had a feeling it was her. And damn, once again, it freaked me out. I was scared because the 'feeling' was never that strong. I think it had something to do with a part of me accepting how I felt about her when I died." I wave my hand, "Anyway, once again, I pushed it away. I got involved in a sick – I can't even call it a relationship – _thing_ with another vampire, then Xander and Anya's wedding went carfluky, then Tara was murdered, then Will went all evil and veiny..." I'm full blown crying now. "Jesus Christ, were we really only 21 when all that came down, one horrible thing after the other?"

Emma pulls me into her arms, "Oh my God, I had no idea. No one ever told me everything that happened, just bits and pieces."

I start to swipe at my tears then I realize why Faith told her to talk to me: she didn't feel she could convey to Emma how to not waste the time we did. "It's ok; I'm fine, just remembering is sad." I pull back from her and give a weak grin.

She catches my eyes, "We don't have to do this; I didn't mean to upset you."

"Hey, I've gotten this far, may as well give you your money's worth, huh?" I sit back again and continue, "Then Willow brought Faith back to help with the First." Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. "I was such a bitch to her. Once again I choose a vampire over her. Man, how that pissed her off. How fucked up is it that I felt it was easier to be with the undead than the woman everyone knew I was in love with? I was such an ass." I cannot stop shaking my head, "I remember asking her why she came back, she said, 'Willow said you needed me,' then she shrugged, 'didn't give it a lot of thought.' God, I wanted to throw myself in her arms at that very second. She was so genuine, so matter-of-fact, like it would never occur to her _not_ to come if I needed help."

"Why didn't you?" She reads my confused look, "Throw yourself in her arms?"

I nod, yeah Buffy, why didn't you? I silently repeat to myself. "We spotted a Bringer. Then there was the vineyard fiasco, then the Bronze fiasco, then I got a little wacky and they threw me out of my own house, then Faith got hurt, then there was the fight with the First…"

Em laughs, "Wow, Faith's right, you do a really good 'Reader's Digest version.'" She shakes her head.

"Oh, it's all stuff you already heard about," I wave my hand. "But when I was run through by one of the Über vamps, Faith was at my side in an instant. Something happened then, when I gave her the scythe, it's like something passed between us, an understanding, a moment of clarity, we knew what we meant to each other was real. Then in LA, I completely broke down on her when I thought Dawn was going to die. After all those years, I even told her I loved her. I never did ask her if she realized I said it through the babbling, blithering mess that I was back then. She must have thought I was a complete basket case."

"I fell asleep after I had my meltdown, but I held onto her for dear life." Really getting lost in the memory, I smile, "I'd never felt so safe, so protected. I felt like we were... connected. It was like I could feel her calm run through me, and how it soothed me; like nothing else ever had. I slept better in those few hours wrapped in her arms than I had in the previous two years since they brought me back."

Looking down, I feel my face flushing before I even speak the next line, "Then waking in her arms, after her telling me she'd be there for me and Dawn? That's when I knew this wasn't anything to play around with anymore. So I finally kissed her, and then nothing was the same." I take a deep breath then blow it out steadily, "Gods, how to describe it...: it was like an electric current running between us, like every nerve in my body was on fire and calling her name. Desire, yearning, passion they're all close, but it was so much more than sexual, more than just a physical attraction, it's like every fiber of my being needed to be with her to be complete. And that's when I _knew_ I really was in love with her."

I close my eyes and remember that first kiss then rub my forehead. "But I waited too long: I had just started to acknowledge my feelings for her and she had so much that she needed to sort out, we didn't stand a chance. I kinda had a feeling about what she was doing when she left that night, and I knew I could have stopped her, but I also accepted she had to do it on her own. So I let her go. Of course I made her feel super guilty, but I let her go. Willow and Kennedy helped me figure a lot of this stuff out over the years. Then I saw her when I brought you here and…"

Emma is wide-eyed as she cuts me off, "Wait, you guys didn't see each other _at all_ until you brought me here from Durban?" She is completely incredulous.

"No," I shake my head, "she checked up on me and saw Ken a few times, but I never saw her."

Em just looks at me dumbfounded as I continue my tale.

"While Giles and the others were getting the school up and running, Dawn, Andrew, Sophia and I went to Rome. Dawn and Sophia did a semester in secondary school and I tired to find as many Slayers as I could. I don't remember what Andrew did. I think he… made a lot of friends there." I wink at Emma who nods in return, catching my meaning. "Sophia and Dawn were the language girls, so once I'd find a Slayer, one of them would tell her the deal and see if she would want to come back to the States for training. The girls we found were confused, scared and unorganized. Then we got word a psychotic Slayer had been given the wrong meds then escaped a mental institution in LA. She was very troubled, didn't understand her strength and was killing people. We sent Andrew there to bring her to Cleveland so Giles could try to take care of her."

Emma knits her brow. God, talk about how it could have been her life if we hadn't gotten her out of there, "How come you never told me about her?"

I sigh deeply, "Dana was 10 when a man killed her family then tortured her for months. She had been institutionalized for 15 years when she broke out." I wipe my hand across my face and sigh.

"But wait, she's older than you?" Emma's face is a mask of confusion, "If it was right after the fight with the First you and Will were 22, and she was 25." She shakes her head, "you said no one came into their powers if they were over 18."

I nod, "She was the only one who did. Andrew said it then, she was an anomaly in many ways."

"Where is she Buffy?" Emma's eyes are huge. She knows this could have been her.

"Right after we came back from Rome she killed herself. She was in so much pain, Em. She couldn't find a way to deal with it do matter how many doctors Giles took her to." I take in her crestfallen look then continue, "Dana's death was my wakeup call. I had failed Faith, but at least she was alive. But Dana and Chloe… they were on my head."

Emma immediately interrupts, "Jesus, who the hell is Chloe?"

"A potential in Sunnydale, she hung herself at the house before the fight with the First." I quickly shake it off, I have to. "I realized I had more than a responsibility to these girls. I needed to start really taking care of them: the ones who had no one else, who were in trouble, who didn't have the strength to make it on their own. I just couldn't let it happen again." Shaking my head I continue, "They needed someone to talk to who understood how hard it is to be a Slayer and who would think they were completely insane."

"So I went back to school with Will, Ken and Andrew at Kent State. During breaks I brought the troubled Slayers here. Even though I didn't have my formal training yet, we all knew being with us was better than being pumped up with drugs and locked up in some room." I stop for a second to watch Emma stare at the floor as she nods, silently realizing what her life could have been like.

"We actually lucked out when one of my psych professors was attacked by a vamp. I was doing a sweep of the campus and saved him. He had been here in Cleveland for a while, so knew things were fishy, but he was super cool when I confirmed that, 'yes that was a real vampire I just dusted'." I smile remembering Dr. Graham, "He would stop by once a week to talk to the girls that needed a more professional touch."

"And that's how it went for about a year... until the day I felt a part of my soul wrenched away from me." I look at her with a sad smile, "That was the day I stopped feeling my connection to Faith. At the time I didn't know it was the Powers that Be changing her, so I totally freaked out. One day it just stopped, like a phone line had been severed. Even though I never saw her, I took comfort in _feeling_ her presence. It was like I was never alone. I was scared to death something happened to her, so I made Kennedy find her to make sure she was alright."

"That turned out to be a sticky situation because I was involved with a woman named Jessie at the time." I lean my head back and sigh at the surprised look on Emma's face, "Yeah, I know, I finally get the courage to date a woman, a Slayer even, and Faith is nowhere to be found." I shake my head, "I had just started dating her when it happened. I thought I did it, you know, stopped the connection because I was with her, then after Ken found out Faith was ok, Willow told me it was mystical and had nothing to do with me and Jessie. Ever the stubborn fool, deep down, I still blamed myself," misting up again, I slowly exhale. "A part of me died once I lost that piece of us."

"The funny thing? Jessie was great about it. Her and Ken had became fast friends when I was in Rome. Then when I came back and Jessie pursued me they had a common adversary: ghosts. Ken was still feeling the effects of measuring up against the ghost of Tara, and Jessie was trying to get something off the ground with me while the specter of everything that was Faith haunted all of us. In the end, Jessie knew I loved her, but I would always be in love with Faith. We never talked about it, but she knew. I can't imagine how hard that must have been for her. She was an amazing person and deserved so much more, but it was all I could give. She accepted it though and we had an incredible 7 years."

Emma nods now, "I remember a flash of her. She was with you when you rescued me from the M'Fashnik demon." She closes her eyes, "When you two hid me in the cavern, she told me you guys would come back for me. Her eyes were so clear of doubt, so trustworthy. I was so scared but she made me feel like I had a chance, like I was going to make it."

"I was devastated when that demon killed her. He told me I couldn't hold on to a lover, they all died, that everyone I love dies." I lean my head back on the couch then continue, "Bastard really fucked with my head. He left me there, with her dead body at my feet, to go search for you. I was ready to let him kill me too. I was just so tired of losing people. Then Faith came to me, I didn't see her, but I heard her. She gave me the strength to get up and get you out of there. I didn't find out till later she spent more than two years being tortured in a hell dimension for it." I rub my eyes, "Crazy things you do for love, huh? And after the shitty way I had treated her? I so didn't deserve it."

She's shaking her head now, "I always knew she loved you Buffy, but that's pretty incredible." She shakes her head again, "almost unbelievable."

"I know," I smile sadly, "some times it makes the sheer amount of years we threw away harder to bear."

Emma takes hold of my hand and sighs, "You didn't throw them away. It sounds like you two had a lot going on; you both had a lot of your own stuff to deal with before you could have tried to do something together. It's just amazing in itself you ever managed to come back to each other again."

At that last bit, I laugh, "Why do you think she was in my bed 24 hours after we hadn't seen each other in 10 years? I wasn't going to waste another second." Then I sigh, "After we spoke that first night after so many years, I knew we were finally going to get the chance we kept blowing all those years before. I could feel it the moment she put her arms around me; and I knew she felt it too, the overwhelming need to be together. I also knew the onus was on me to get us there."

"Right after Dawn took you up to bed that night, the rest of the gang left us alone. They knew we needed to talk …"

_FLASHBACK _

"I felt you here when Angel and the others died." I put my glass on the ledge and wrap my arms around myself as I stare into the darkness of the backyard.

Faith puts her glass down, "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I wasn't."

"Sure you were." She rises; stepping in behind me she lays her hands tentatively on my shoulders. "You've always been stronger than you thought."

Shaking my head, "I needed you." Suddenly all the pain of these last years is back and falling on me like a dead weight. I lean back into her and close my eyes. I can't help the tears from coming and I'm too tired to care. Then, I feel Faith's hands slowly slide down my arms and surround my waist, drawing me nearer.

"I knew I couldn't stay and I didn't want to make things worse."

I could feel as well as hear Faith's heart beating rapidly. It was clamoring as fast as mine. I let out the breath I had been holding, "You still feel it too." It wasn't a question.

"Never stopped," She whispers in my ear.

"But you wanted me to think you didn't care."

"It was the only way I could find the strength to leave you. I had some serious issues I needed to work out."

Thinking about it for a minute, I wipe my eyes and try to keep my voice even. "Did you get it worked out, Faith?"

It takes Faith a moment to answer then she rests her chin on my shoulder, "Yeah."

I slide my arms over hers, holding them in place, "Then I guess it was worth it."

We stay like that, her body encircling mine, looking out into the night that was soon becoming day. The exhaustion finally takes me and I sway, Faith tightens her grip, holding me up. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just, no sleep in two days."

"Why don't you get to bed and I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Ok, I should be done by 3:00 – 4:00." Making no move to leave the warm, safe circle of Faith's arms I realize I wouldn't be in her arms right now if I wasn't exhausted and my guard down, but I'm happy I am. I know it's crazy and I should be angry or at the very least aloof, but I'm not, can't help it. I'm such a freak.

"Take as long as you need, I'll wait." She means it in more ways than one and I nod to let her know I understand both meanings. Faith hesitates, then kisses the back of my head and turns to leave, "Goodnight B."

I can't help the words as they tumble from of my mouth, "Are you really going to stick around this time?"

Faith stops short as if the blow was physical. "As long as you let me," she calls back before she lets herself out.

_END FLASHBACK _

"Ok, that last bit was kinda cheeky, but I needed to let her know I seriously wanted this, wanted us to be together." Then I chuckle, "and yeah, I also wanted her to know the sting of her leaving me in LA was still very much an ache for me."

"I get that," Emma nods, letting it all sink in.

I cock my head to the side, "So was this more cathartic for me than you?"

She grins, "God Buffy, I knew you guys went though a lot of shit but, that's one incredible story."

"Well, my long winded moral to the story is: don't walk away if it feels right."

Emma sighs, "I don't want to walk away but I want to give Sophia time to sort it out for herself too. She's never really dated anyone besides Norberto and I've never dated past 2 months. Not that we're dating… at least I don't think we are…" She shakes her head, "It's all so very confusing, this _feelings_ business. I guess we're just going to feel it out, go slow. And I can do slow... I think..." She looks up at me then rubs the back of her neck, "I still think I'm going to fuck this up."

"You," I lean forward and ruffle her hair as I laugh, "are not going to fuck it up." Looking at her, I continue seriously, "From what you said, you both feel an attraction," she nods, "and want to pursue it?" I ask as I raise my eyebrows.

She nods again with a hint of a sheepish grin that is quickly spreading, "Yeah." Can someone tell me how, although they're not related by blood, she can wear Faith's smirk as if it were part of her genetic makeup?

I laugh as I shake my head, "So what does Sophia say? You two were kinda inseparable when she was here."

"We really didn't talk much, just kinda hung out, you know? It's like we're not ready for the words, at least not yet anyways." She fumbles with the crease in her jeans, "But she did say she wants me to take some time to work through what happened with Richard. I think she's afraid I'm turning to her because of what happened." Then she looks up at me, "But this started before then."

Placing my hands together then pressing them to my lips, I nod. I can't help but allow a bit of 'Dr. Buffy' to slip out of this 'Mom Buffy' conversation. I carefully state, "It all happened at the same time, she has a valid fear, Em."

"I know," she glances away, "but that's not what's going on here."

Deciding to just drop it for now, I nod and ask, "So how did you leave it?"

"Just that we'd talk later," she plays with the crease again.

Trying to catch her eye, I tilt my head and smile, "And have you?"

"Just for a minute, this morning after the 'hunting party' came home, she was on her way to the hospital."

Again, I'm pulling teeth here, "And…"

"And it's a little weird," she huffs out. "I know you said you always had the tingles with Faith, but what about with Jessie? Was it always there or did it change? The feeling I mean. With Sophia, it's gone from the regular feeling of a Slayer being around to this constant…"

"Connection?" I fill in the blank.

She nods, "Yeah… exactly."

"It wasn't as intense as it was with Faith, but yes, it changed with Jessie."

She furrows her brow and plops her chin on her hand, "But it's so powerful; it feels like… almost like I'm reading her, but more? It's like she's busted through my barrier, I can't cloak it."

"I asked Andrew about it and he thought it was the endorphins we normally feel when we have feelings for someone getting all wrapped up in the Slayer in us. I'll bet he'd say the Empath in you is reacting to her as well."

Lifting her eyebrows, "Such a romantic, isn't he?"

"Aw, he's just a guy that loves to solve the mystic questions that surround us with science. Andrew is a true alchemist at heart."

Smirking she nods, "I know, but he's so fun to tease."

I'm about to ask her how she's dealing with the whole Richard situation when the phone rings. I jump up and grab it, "This is Dr. Summers." So yeah, Mrs. Pinnington was right – God how she _loves _to hear that – about how I answered the phone.

"Hey, Buff, it's Vi and I'd suggest you sit down, like now." She's all business I think as I look up at the clocks, and damn, it's almost midnight over there; Em and I were talking for a while.

Sitting, I look over to Em, then reply, "Ok, sitting."

"Is Emma or Faith home? I'd like to ask them some questions about the other night."

Motioning for Em to come and sit in my guest chair, "Emma's here, I'm putting you on speaker." Pressing the speakerphone button, then, "Ok, go ahead."

"Ok, I just got a boatload of info on Richard in Pulbourogh, and Buff?"

Furrowing my brow, I look at Emma then the phone, "Yeah?"

"He's old, like Dracula old."

Meeting Emma's knowing stare, I get up, "Vi, talk to Emma for a minute, I'm going to get the others."


	12. The Miller's Son

**Chapter 12: The Miller's Son**

**FAITH & BUFFY'S ROOM – 6:30 PM**

FAITH'S POV

There's a place between consciousness and slumber where I allow myself to just feel, accept, be. It's where the Powers that Be taught me to control my anger and fears. It's a place I haven't been in a very long time. I'm glad Buffy hasn't come to wake me yet because I _need_ to be here right now. Last night was really fucked up. The fact I tortured the vamp doesn't bother me, he deserved it, no question there. What's freaking me out is how much I enjoyed it, that's the problem, that's why I've been here for hours, that and Richard's letter.

Talking to B helped this morning after we got back. Wrapping myself around her body, feeling in tune with her, that was my first step to calming down; it always is. Christ, I was so fucking upset; this whole week has been an internal fight for control. Then last night I finally lost it, really lost it. This is what I needed to center myself again, to feel the calm wash over me. It's taken me all this time to get the vision of Richard draining Isabella out of my head. That particular scene has been replaying over and over since I read that fucking letter.

B's pushing the research even harder now. The bastard has obviously been stalking us for a while, slithering in and out of our lives like the snake he is. I can't help but wonder how much he knows about us and how it's all tied up in the prophecy. I guess it would have to be for him to… oh, wait… B tingles…she's here, running her fingers through my hair, kissing my forehead… hmmm, what a perfect way to wake up. I open my eyes.

"Hey," I huskily groan out as I reach for her, my voice still thick with sleep.

She smiles at me, "Hi baby," she allows me to drag her down for a hungry kiss. Pulling back for air, she lightly traces my lips, "Hold that thought for later. You need to come downstairs, Vi is on the phone. She found the information mother load on Richard."

"Shit, why didn't you say so?" I jump out of bed and throw on a sweat shirt.

Laughing, she rises, "Cause it only took a minute to wake you just right."

"And that you did," I turn to her and bury my face in her neck, wrapping her up in a much needed hug. God, I can't begin to describe how her touch soothes me. Pulling back, I smile, "Come on, let's get down there before you distract me any more."

Not letting me out of her grasp, "How do you feel?"

"Better," I nod, "much better," I pull back a little and lace my fingers together at the small of her back. Taking in her wary look I smile, "Really, babe, I'm ok."

She takes my face in her hands, "You weren't ok this morning."

"Buffy," she raises an eyebrow at me using her full name, "The PtB taught me ways to - "

Then she leans in and kisses me, "I know, you told me." She rubs her thumb against my cheek, "I just worry about you, Faith. You don't let anyone in," she sighs, "you don't even let me in."

"Hey," I press into her hand, then bow my head to touch hers, "How about you meet me on the back deck tonight after the troops have hit the hay? We'll talk, really talk, ok?"

She looks up at me then smiles as she nods, "Ok."

When we get to B's office, we find the rest of the gang there waiting for us. B goes over to her desk and I take a seat next to Emma. B leans over the phone, "Ok, Vi, we're all here, go ahead."

"Hey," she calls out, "let me give you guys some background first, ok?"

We all murmur our assent. Then Vi begins: "Richard Welch was born in Pulborough England on 14th January 1468. He was the only child of Paul and Ann. Paul was a Miller by trade and Ann a Seamstress. Richard led a relatively uneventful life until he joined the undead on his 25th birthday in 1493."

"We don't know who his sire is yet, but we do know Richard staked him almost immediately, so it's going to be hard to figure it out. I found the actual written account describing how Richard was turned in the church cemetery. His sire bound the pastor at St. Mary's and made him watch. So at least we know where he got that sick fetish from. The cleric's diaries are quite descriptive."

Tuning Vi out for a second, I look at Emma and wonder what I would have done had he tried to make Dennis turn her in front of me.

'_Stop it,'_ her thought comes crashing into my head.

'_Hey,'_ I shoot back, narrowing my eyes at her, not appreciating the intrusion.

'_Whatever… like everyone in this room doesn't know what you're thinking,'_ she rolls her eyes at me.

I can't help but laugh, then stop when everyone looks at me, "Oh, sorry."

"Can I continue?" Vi asks.

Buffy looks back and forth between me and Em then shakes her head, "Go ahead Vi."

"Right, so according to the pastor's diary, after the sire turned Richard, he explained to them what a vampire was and how they live forever. He then detailed all the things that could harm or destroy them. Once the sire finished, he ordered Richard to feed on the pastor. Richard in turn fed on his sire, staked him then released the pastor. The diary goes on to say he left Pulborough, never to return." She takes a breath, "So Dawn, Andrew, is that enough for you to get started while we continue to work this end?"

"Ab-so-fucking-lut-ly" Andrew jumps up, "You have any other names at all, anything else we can use to narrow the search?"

"Well, the pastor's name was Ian Macgregor, he was from Scotland, ok duh, like you didn't get that from the name. Sorry guys, it's late and I'm a little punchy." She sighs, "He came to Pulborough in 1450 and was like a second father to Richard. I still have to dig for his later diaries, but I went through all the ones at the church."

Andrew's face is pensive, then you can practically see the light bulb go off over his head "How did he die?"

Vi laughs, "I was hoping you could tell us that.

His smile widens as he turns to leave, "You guys are on your own for dinner, I'm so on this."

Dawn gets up to follow him to their office, then she stops and rests against the door jam, "I'll give you guys an update in a couple of hours, ok?"

Buffy smiles at her as she nods, "Cool, go ahead, work your cyber-magic."

Dawn smiles back then looks at Emma, "We'll find him." She states plainly, there's no question in her mind.

"I know," Em says softly, "Thanks, Dawn."

"Hey Will," Vi asks, "You still there?"

Red moves over to B's desk, "Yeah, Vi, I'm here."

"Cool, I'm not sure but I think I also have at least a lead on a Wicca. Like I said, not certain, but there are quite a few entries in the pastor's diary about a village woman called Eva who 'practiced the herb-lore' and we all know what that's code for."

B cuts in, "What specifically makes you think it's connected?"

"She disappeared the same time Richard did, never to return. And you've always told us, 'there's no such thing as coincidence.'" Vi pauses, "Will, I know I'm probably going out on a limb here, but I have the feeling they teamed up together for mutual protection. She could watch over him during the day and he'd protect her at night. I know it couldn't have been easy to be a witch then, they called it the 'dark ages' for a reason."

Red's eyes sweep around the room, then rest on the phone, "It's probably not far from what happened, in fact it's very believable." She bites her lip, "We need to see those diaries Vi."

"I know, I'm working on the pastor but she's a tough old bird. Almost had a cow when I scanned a few pages, she made me stop." Vi sighs, "I'll try again tomorrow, guys, I'm not giving up."

Ken furrows her brow then catches Buffy's eye, "Tell her we'll deposit £5 million into the church's coffers for the honor of having an expert in 15th century English history make a copy of the diaries on acid free paper, then sealed for all time so they can be properly displayed"

We all look at Ken a bit speechless, but it's Buffy that actually says, "Gods, Kennedy, you're a freaking genius!"

She just shrugs, "Nah, if my parents' money taught me anything, it's to make people think they are getting the better end of the deal. This way the pastor will think she's getting the cash and museum quality copies, while all we're getting are moldy originals. Moldy originals that no doubt are laden with information our gang of geeks will work out in no time," she laughs.

Vi concurs, "You really _are_ a genius, I'll call Austin and get his team out here."

Ken just smiles, "Just make sure she thinks you are buying them for some eccentric, rich American. Everyone loves to make fun of us."

"Alright I'll let you guys know what's going on tomorrow after I've sealed the deal," I can hear the weariness in Vi's voice.

"Hey Vi?" I call out.

She perks up a bit, "Hey Faith, how you liking those 9mms?"

"They're fucking awesome babe, just wanted to say thanks for them. Ken and I did some major damage last night," she can probably feel my smirk across the 4,000+ miles that are separating us.

"I knew you'd love them," she laughs. "Are you and Em gonna be around in the morning? I have your written accounts but wanted to ask you guys a couple of things. Problem is my lap top died and of course I forgot my charger so I have to wait till I buy one tomorrow to power it back up."

I turn to Em with a raised eyebrow. She looks at her watch, "Hey Vi, I'm working the night shift this week, 8pm to 8am, so how about we call you at 9am? That's what, like 2pm by you? Is that ok? If you need me to try and get out early - "

"No, no, that sounds perfect. Look, I'm gonna crash now; I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Oh, and tell Dawn to send me an email if they find anything tonight."

Buffy nods, "Will do, not to worry."

"K, goodnight."

"Bye" "Goodnight" we call out.

Emma gets up, "I really gotta get to the hospital. I'll see you guys in the morning ok?" She gets up then walks over to B and rests her hand on her shoulder, "Thanks for before."

"Anytime," B nods as she reaches up and covers Emma's hand with her own. Hmmm, I guess they finally had that talk. "Be careful, Em."

Emma bobs her head, "You bet, see you all later."

After Emma leaves, it's just the four of us. I look around, and each of them seems to be in their own little world. Then I feel a hand on my arm.

"You ok?" Ken asks.

Turning to her, I lean back in my chair, "Yeah, fine," I say dismissively as I try to banish the thought of Dennis turning Emma from my mind. "What did Dawn and Andrew have to say about the letter?"

"Nothing yet," her eyes meet mine, "Don't worry, they'll find something soon."

Nodding, "I know." I look down then back at her, "I'm sorry I freaked ya out last night, Ken. I'm good now, just needed to chill for a bit." She clasps her hand on my shoulder. I'm about to ask Red if she thinks she can trace the Wicca when Nicky comes racing in.

"I totally kicked Clem's butt in foosball," she pants out as she jumps up on my lap.

Clem trails in behind her and lingers in Buffy's doorway looking all kinds of sheepish, "She totally did," he nods then smiles, "got any snacks?"

"Hungry?" I ask Nicky as I pull her into a hug.

Leaning into me she nods, "Yeah, Clem and I worked up an appetite." Arms still around my neck, she pulls back a bit, openly appraising me, "You seem," thinking for a second, "better."

All eyes are on us now, "I am," I narrow my eyes as they search hers, "You're not even trying to read me are you?"

"I don't really have to; I can see it in you." She lays her head on my shoulder, "But I do feel your peace, it feels nice. I missed it."

Pulling her closer, I take a deep breath and will myself to keep this "peace" as she calls it. I look up and notice the smiles on everyone's face. I smile back, "How 'bout I order some pizzas then you can help us do some research?"

She leans back and looks at me wide-eyed, "Really?"

"Faith…" Uh oh, B doesn't sound too excited about my plan.

Both of us look over at her, "Come on B, she knows the web better than I do. She can be my assistant. What do you say?"

Nicky raises her eyebrows then begs, "Please Buffy? Please let me help."

"Oh my God, like I can resist the two of you ganging up on me," B laughs then shakes her head, "Ok, ok."

**DINING ROOM – 9:00PM**

WILLOW'S POV

Well, Vi was right about Eva, she was a Wicca. I found her in the Coven's database:

- Name: Eva Stokton, b.1 May 1470; d. ?; m. No; Talents: herb healing, telekinesis, telepathy, precognition; Last known location: Pulborough, England, 14 January 1493

"Holy crap!" Andrew yells out, his mouth full of pizza. Dawn leans over and reads his laptop screen.

"Andrew!" Both Buffy and Faith admonish as they give him stern looks while glancing at Nicky's reaction.

Turning red he apologizes, "Sorry, really… I just found the trail, I changed the order of my string of search words and I found it!"

We didn't just hack into the Council's bank accounts back in 2003; we also restored their file servers. It didn't matter that the headquarters in London was blown to pieces, there were server redundancies sprawling over 17 countries on 5 continents. So the incalculable treasure trove of information gathered for centuries was never lost to us. Andrew and I not only increased the bandwidth to hold more data but also added 8 more redundant server locations to hopefully ensure we would never be down for any reason.

Andrew was giddy as he called out the stream of cities and countries Richard was reported in. He scrolls down to the end and enters Cleveland, USA. "That's 36 reportings over 6 centuries, man, no wonder no one knows about this dude."

Pulborough, England - 1493

Faro, Portugal - 1497

Nimes, France - 1500

Mostyn, Wales - 1525

Norrbotten, Sweden - 1542

Stuttgart, Germany - 1579

Petrodvorets, Russia – 1589

Antalya, Turkey - 1594

Bhopal, India - 1597

Onon, Mongolia - 1620

Guangzhou, China - 1632

Narita, Japan – 1644

Fairbanks, USA - 1656

Seattle, USA - 1677

Calgary, Canada - 1698

Arlington, USA - 1705

Chicago, USA - 1721

Nain, Newfoundland - 1726

Jacksonville, USA - 1742

Kerewan, Gambia - 1758

Mombasa, Kenya - 1795

Figuig, Morocco - 1796

Thessaloniki, Greece - 1803

Tanis, Egypt - 1821

Chokwe, Mozambique - 1849

Bukit Panjang, Singapore - 1864

Melbourne, Australia - 1895

Namo, Guam - 1902

Palmerston North, New Zealand - 1908

Kauai, USA - 1913

Los Angeles, USA - 2002

San Cristobal, Venezula –2004

Akumal, Mexico – 2008

Mataveri, Easter Island – 2011

Buenos Aires, Argentina – 2024

Cleveland, USA – - 2024

"Buenos Aires and Cleveland are the only places he allowed himself to be seen twice in one year. And you guys realize he is _allowing_ himself to be seen. He's totally doing this for a reason. There must be a reason for the years, the places… hang on, I'll be right back." Andrew gets up and goes into his office.

Faith is up at looking and Andrew's screen as she chomps on her pizza. It seems like she's spacing, you know like looking through the computer, then she narrows her eyes. After a moment she widens them.

"Ok, Faith, what?" I ask as I watch the numerous facial expressions.

She shakes her head, "Mother fucker." "He's barely around, or showing himself in the 1900's then bam, where does he show up? LA in 2002, remember what happened in LA in 2002?"

"Angel and others," Buffy says softly.

Faith still looking at the list continues, "Riley and Sam were killed in San Cristobal, Venezuela in 2004." Ken jumps up and looks at the screen as Faith puts it all together, "then he," she takes a breath, "he killed Isabella in Akumal in 2008…"

"And Jessie was killed on Easter Island in 2011," Buffy looks at Faith, eyes hardening.

Faith gives her a tight smile, "I guess then Buenos Aires and Cleveland are just little "in your face" appearances for us as we seemed to miss the other ones."

"Wow, Faith, that's brilliant!" Andrew exclaims as he come back in dragging a huge map of the world. "Babe? Ken? Can you grab the ends of this while Nicky and I clear off the table?"

They clear the table then lay out the map. Nicky jumps up on a chair to see better and leans against Buffy, "You are going to have to wear ear plugs the way Faith curses," she says to her as she glares at Faith." Faith just shrugs then looks at the map.

Andrew disappeared downstairs for a second returning with a box of poker chips. He opens the box and starts to place a chip on each city Richard was reported in. Realizing what he's doing Faith and Ken grab some and together they place a chip on each. We all look at the map, trying to make some connection. It seems so random, I can't see - "

"Incredible isn't it?" Andrew says as he stands back from the table, arms folded across his chest.

I know I speak for everyone when I say, "Huh?"

"He moves in triangles, well sometimes not perfect ones, but triagles nonetheless" he points to the map. "You see?" He looks around for a reaction and receives none. Then…

"Triangles have 3 sides…" Ken talks it out.

Nicky looks up, "Like the pyramid in my vision."

"Wait, 36 cities, 36 divided by 3 is 12 – as in 12 planets," I sputter out.

Faith runs her hands through her hair then shakes it out, "Looks like we're nearing the end of the game if he's being this obvious."

We played around with some theories while Andrew took copious notes. No one realized what time it was until Nicky started mumbling in her sleep. She had crawled up on Faith's lap a while ago and must have fallen asleep. She was in on the discussion of how Richard's movements were according to some plan related to the prophecy, so she must have crashed after that. Faith took her up to bed then rejoined us. We called it a night around 1:30, leaving Buffy and Faith still discussing how Richard could have gone from the Miller's son to the errand boy of the Anunnaki.

Faith is right though, things must be happening soon for him to be so blatant. I shake my head and look over at Ken who's fast asleep, still not on the right time after the all-nighter yesterday. Letting my hand trace down her cheek and jaw, I think: how many times can we ready ourselves to die? to lose each other? to save the world? Oh, Goddess, are we going to be able to do it again?

**BACKPORCH – 2:23 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

Taking a healthy sip of Cote de Rhone I lean back into Faith. We're out on the back deck, sitting on the chaise lounge. I'm sitting between her legs, lying back against her chest. Her arm is loosely clasped around my waist and mine is resting on hers, gently laced. This is nice, one of our few stolen moments. The others went up to bed a little while ago. Faith grabbed a bottle and glasses with one hand, then me with the other and came out here for our "date".

Looking up at the mass of stars I finally speak, "Do you think we can see Nibiru from here?" I place my glass on the table next to us.

"Dunno, probably can by now, I'm guessing there's not too much time left." She too gazes up to the sky, "You know, I'll never get over how many stars you can see here, not like Boston, shit we were lucky to see like 4," she laughs.

Rubbing the back of my head to her chin I ask, "How you feeling, baby?"

She tightens her grip on me, "Wrapped around you? How could I not feel good?" Taking in my silence she sighs, "I'm not good at this B."

"I know," I lightly stroke my fingertips over her arm, "You don't have to say anything babe, just know I'm here if you need me."

Ducking her head into my neck she murmurs, "I know. It's just hard to talk about stuff sometimes." My eyes fall closed as she kisses my neck, "It's always easier to just feel."

"Yeah, you're very good at that," I manage to breathe out.

She groans into my hair, "What happened with Emma… it brought me back to that hell dimension Buffy. I wasn't in control and they fucked with my head." She lays her chin on my shoulder now almost whispering in my ear, "They would beat me until I lost consciousness. When I woke they would, would show me things… bad things, then the cycle would repeat, every day…" she sighs steadily, "everyday."

I stretch my arms behind me, encircling her neck as I kiss her cheek. She's never spoken to me about those 2 ½ years. Yeah, I got my own sneak peak, but after that night, we never talked about it again. "What did they show you, baby?"

She sighs again, "Mostly you," she stops and I know her eyes are closed remembering what is no doubt etched in her mind forever, "but sometimes Dawn or Ken, being killed. I was always there, watching, not being able to do anything about it." She pulls me tight into her again, "Or sometimes you would be there watching them beat me, cheering them on."

"Faith…" I turn and look up at her. Fucking bastard PtB, I swear if they were corporeal I would smack the shit out of both of them!

She kisses my forehead, "I knew it wasn't you, at least most of the time I knew. Sometimes it was easier to think it was." She drags me back against her as she continues, "but being helpless watching that vamp bite Emma… Jesus, Buffy." She shakes her head, "it was like being back there. It freaked me out," she shakes her head, "really freaked me out. That's why all week I was feeling so out of control, then torturing that vamp last night…" She runs her hands up and down my arms, "I know it's gonna sound crazy, but something was nagging at me when we found out Richard killed Isabella, it's like it kinda shocked me out of it and I didn't realize why at the time."

"You know why now?" I ask as I lean my head back into her chest.

She reaches out, finishes her wine then places her empty glass next to mine, "After I managed to chill out when I woke up, and what we figured out tonight, then right now here with you, I realized he was pulling our strings, manipulating situations to achieve desired results, just like I did when I was with the PtB." She stops but I know she has something more to say, "Except with him he's tweaking reality to make our lives worse not better."


	13. The Big Magic

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always. They keep me honest, so keep 'em coming. I'll bet you guys think I forgot all about the Spell, huh? Enjoy and let me know if you like it.**

**Chapter 13: The Big Magic**

**NEXT MORNING – KENNEDY'S OFFICE – 8:40 AM**

KENNEDY'S POV

I wired the money into St. Mary's account at Barclays about 3 hours ago and just got the confirmation of receipt. Excellent, I think as I gulp down another mug of coffee. Vi should be calling later on with an estimate of how long it's going to take Austin and his team to copy the diaries. He needs to do a good job, but we need them here, fast.

Getting up to refill my mug, I hear Nicky in the kitchen, no doubt perfecting her crepes. Andrew decided she needed to broaden her horizons in the kitchen, so has been introducing her to the world of cooking. The latest foray is crepes and she's obsessed with finding new and different fillings and toppings.

I'm really glad she's taken to it. It gives her a much needed outlet that she can rely on when she needs it. Being in the kitchen soothes her and gives her a break from the weight surrounding her. The visions have been coming more frequently, ever since Emma was attacked, and I know it's been hard for her. Will and Dawn have been spending more time with her, sorting out the writing on the pyramid. So far they have only three words "Anunnaki" "stop" "slayers", not exactly words to warm the heart. So that and Faith's recent ups and downs had the poor kid pretty down in the dumps.

Wandering into the kitchen, I refill my mug then take a seat between Buffy and Emma, "Morning."

"Hey Ken," Buffy smiles, "I'm filling Em in on the haps after she left last night."

I nod then tilt my head over to Nicky and raise my eyebrows, "So Nick, what's the special this morning?" Nicky is at the stove expertly swirling the sauté pan. I swear it's amazing how thin she gets them.

"Duce de leche!" she exclaims.

Emma looks up from her coffee, "Sweet milk?"

Nicky turns around, "Yeah, you guys are gonna love it with crepes. You slow boil it to make it thick like caramel. Sophia taught me."

I notice Emma look back down into her coffee mug and chuckle. She looks tired. "I'm gonna crash, guys, the hospital was a zoo last night."

"But what about your crepes?" Nicky's face falls.

Emma almost physically deflates, "I'm sorry, Nick, I'm just really tired. How about you put them in the fridge for me and I'll have them later?"

"Ok," then she mumbles, "I liked it better when you worked days."

Em gives her a weak smile, "It's just a couple of months."

"I know," she says dejectedly.

Jesus, I don't know who I feel worse for right now. Almost from the second Faith brought Nicky and Martin back to this dimension, her and Emma have hit off. Over the years they've spent almost all their free time together, so Em pulling the night shift has been a real strain on both of them. They have a bond few "real" sisters do, hell, I can barely be in the same room as my half-sister. Maybe it's because they both lost so much so young they truly understand each other like no one else can. Even though they have 15 years between them, they seem to always be on the same wavelength, like they're in tune to each other.

Moving over to Nicky, Em places her hands on her shoulders and kisses the top of her forehead, "I'll see you this afternoon, ok?"

"Ok," Nick gives her a little smile.

Emma returns it then jumps when her phone rings. Digging it out of her pocket, she looks at the screen then her smile widens. She flips it open, "Hey," she grabs her jacket then turns back to us and mouths 'see you later'. We all nod then she walks out talking, "No, not yet, I was just going up. Nicky says you gave her a cooking class…"

Turning to Buffy, I take in her broad smile as she watches Emma leave. Briefly, I wonder if I'm missing something then shrug and grab her mug along with mine as I get up, "Can I get you another?"

"Sure, thanks Ken," she watches me as I pour, "Is Will still freaking out?"

My Will, I shake my head and sigh, "Yeah, she was hyperventilating earlier this morning."

"She always gets herself all wound up and nervous then is flawless when it comes down to actually doing it," Buffy smiles as I put our mugs down then start to set the table.

See, Willow and Dawn decided the best way to do the Slayer spell was to break it up. So the first phase is to stop all newborns from becoming Slayers at birth, "magically marking" them instead. That way we can begin the process of keeping tabs on the girls, notifying them and their families when they turn 14 then testing them right before they turn 18. We haven't figured out what to do if a current Slayer doesn't "pass" the profile. It's been helpful that no one has actually failed it yet. But then, not many have taken it, just us and the staffs at the other SC's. We're rolling out full scale testing next week.

Buffy wanted to start as soon as Will and Dawn thought they had the spell completely down. She wanted no mistakes, no chance for mix-ups and absolutely no room for errors. Today Will and Emma do the first part of the spell and she's a nervous wreck.

"I think she'll be absolutely fantastic," Nicky pipes up as she finishes the stack of crepes and brings the plate over to the table, "She's amazingly powerful, sometimes it rolls off her in waves. It's weird, sometimes it feels like Em, her magic, you know?" She scrunches up her face, "I wonder how that can be?"

Buffy and I exchange a glance. Man there is still so much we haven't told her about us. But then, she's still so young, I guess Buff and Faith will have a real sit-down with her when she's older.

"It's complicated, Nicky," Buffy pats her hand then points to the spread before us, "Ok, what do we do? Put it inside or pour it on top?"

Nicky, completely forgetting about her comment regarding Emma and Will's magic concentrates on the food in front of us, "Well, you can do anything you want, but I think the best thing in the world is to spread the duce de leche on the crepe then put in the sliced bananas and kiwi, then roll it up."

We take her advice and damn, the kid is right. This is very nearly the best thing I've ever tasted.

**ANDREW & DAWN'S OFFICE – 12:30 PM**

WILLOW'S POV

I'm so not ready. I'm so not ready. I'm so not ready. I'm so not ready. I'm so not ready.

"So Will, you ready?" Dawn looks at me expectantly.

Pushing everything else out of my mind, I lean forward placing my head in my hands, "No, but I will be once Emma's up."

"You think she's up to it?" Andrew asks me, "I mean I passed her on the stairs this morning and she looked totally wiped."

Faith took that moment to come in, "She'll be fine, just needs to sleep a little, recharge the batteries."

"How about you?" he asks looking up at her, "Are you ready for the big mojo?"

She sits down next to me placing her hand on my back, rubbing lightly, soothing me. Funny, I remember a time when I never would have used the words 'Faith' and 'soothing' in the same sentence.

Faith laughs, snapping me out of my thoughts, "I was born ready Andy boy. Besides," she sits back placing her hands behind her head, "I'm just the back up generator here. I'm leaving the real witchy-ness to the pros of the household."

Yeah, uh huh, that's us, the pros… me and Emma. I know if Nicky was older she'd be in on this too, but Buffy and Faith wouldn't allow it. I understand completely, she hasn't had time to harness her power like Emma has. Emma's spent at least one month a year in Devon since she was 16. And over the years the Coven has taught her not only how to channel her magicks for healing and telekinesis, but how to project her empathic gifts. If Nicky is even half as skilled as Emma, the two of them will be almost unstoppable together.

So it's me and Em, arguably the two strongest witches on the continent. So can someone tell me why the hell I am so scared? Goddess, maybe because this is a big fucking spell, so much bigger than when I did the first one. My spell activated over 18,000 slayers then, plus the unborn destined to become Slayers. According to Andrew's calculations, there are about 1,000 Slayers born every year. So there are about 40,000 now, plus the unborn whose fate I will be changing again, thank the Gods Emma is doing this with me.

It's not that I'm scared I'll lose control of the magicks; I haven't lost it since that morning all those ears ago. I think I'm more afraid we'll do something to mess it all up. I know it's an irrational fear; we researched it thoroughly with the help of the Coven, but it's healthy to question yourself right? And Faith is here for back up in case, well, just in case something goes wrong.

"Hello… Willow… are you with us?" Andrew is looking at me with raised eyebrows.

Blushing madly, I chuckle to myself, "Yeah, sorry, spacing."

"Do you want to go over it again?" he asks.

Sighing, I shake my head, "No, I got it; today we change the spell so that when Slayers are born they will be marked not given their power. We wait for a Slayer to be born and see if she appears as teal not blue on your Slayer map. If it's successful we go to the next phase, taking away the powers of all the Slayers under 5 and magically marking them as well." I can't help but shake my head, "Goddess, I feel like we're creating another council."

"Don't even think that, Red," Faith sharply turns to me, "we won't turn into _them_, I'd never allow it."

Shit, how can I be such an ass? "Sorry, I didn't mean - "

"What council?" Nicky asks looking around the room for someone to answer her. When no one speaks up, she turns to Buffy, "Is it something bad?"

Buffy takes a deep breath, looks at Faith, then back to Nicky, "They were an organization that controlled the Slayer when there was only one. They…" she looks again at Faith and shakes her head, "They allowed themselves to become consumed by the power they had and were destroyed by the First."

"Wow – that's gotta be a record for the most information left out of - OWEE!" Andrew widens his eyes at Dawn while rubbing his side. She just glares at him, elbow poised for a repeat performance.

Nicky nods to herself, "I get it; it's another 'long story for when I'm older' right?" She shakes her head pouting, "I'm never gonna be older."

"Come on, Nick," Faith gets up and leads her out of the office, "Let's go for a ride, just us."

"But - "

"Come on," Faith says again, giving her a steady push, "you'll be grown up soon enough, no need to rush things."

Once the door closes and the roar of the bike is heard, Buffy sits next to me and places a hand on my knee, "It's not your fault Will; she's still dealing with other stuff."

"I know, I just didn't think," I put my face in my hands, "Sometimes I just remember what they did to you and I forget what they did to her. How different things could have been if only - "

Buffy smiles at me then shakes her head, "Don't, it'll just make you crazy. Take it from someone who played that 'if only' game tons, ok?"

"How about I make lunch?" Andrew tries to get everyone off this topic, he's probably right, relax, eat, then after Emma gets up; it's head in the game and time for beaucoup d'mojo, pièce deux. We all follow him to the kitchen, where he begins to work _his_ magic.

**FRONT PORCH – 2:32 PM**

BUFFY'S POV

The little boy from across the street saw me sitting out here and came over looking for Nicky. He's a cutie that Steve. He's probably the only kid her age she's ever interacted with. I'm really glad they're friends and he's close by. His parents are pretty cool; they think we run some kind of all girls' prep school. I guess, in a way, we kinda do. But back to Steve... I think he's got an incy wincy crush on our Nicky. I smile as I lean back in my chair and put my feet on the railing. Come on, how can he resist a mini hot chick with superpowers? I laugh to myself as Faith and Nicky come down the street and pull into the driveway.

"Hey," Nicky calls out as she jumps off the bike and runs up the steps.

I look at her curiously, "Hey yourself. Why do you still have your helmet on?"

Faith walks up the stairs behind her, "Hey, B, ya ready?" She leans on the post, one hand holding her helmet the other reaching out to Nicky, "Come on, show her."

Nicky unfastens her chinstrap with flair then slowly removes her helmet in dramatic fashion. She shakes her head then looks up at me, "So, what do you think?" She's just bursting.

"You cut your hair!" It was all one length just about to the shoulder, but now it's short and layered, kinda wispy. "You look absolutely adorable!" I was about to say like a pixie but I think she met some pixies in another dimension and she said they weren't too nice, so I stopped after adorable.

Faith smiles and takes her helmet as Nicky runs her hands through her new 'do', "She was scared you wouldn't like it."

"No, I wasn't," Nicky pouts, then rolls her eyes, "Ok, maybe just a little. I just wanted a short haircut, that's all."

I raise my eyebrows, "That looks just like Emma's?"

"Yeah," she says softly while staring at her sneakers, "you think she'll be angry?"

Ruffling her hair, I shake my head and smile, "No, I think she'll be flattered. And you know what else?"

"What?"

Laughing, I shake my head again, "It looks great Nick."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," I confirm solemnly. "Oh, and Steve was looking for you. He wanted to know if you wanted to go over to his house and go swimming."

Her eyes go wide, "Ohhh, can I?" She glances from me to Faith, then back to me.

Smiling at her, I look at Faith who silently agrees, "Ok".

"Awesome!" Nicky breaks for the door.

Faith calls her, "Nick, only a couple of hours." Taking in her pleading look, Faith continues, "You know we have important stuff to do later and I want you home when it's all going down, ok?"

"I understand," she opens the door, "I'll be back before 5:00, I promise," then she goes inside.

Looking up at Faith pursing her lips, I slide my hand down her arm, "Come and sit with me."

"K," she sighs as she sits down, putting the helmets down in front of her. "I wish she had time to just be a kid, B."

Taking her hand, I nod, "I know, babe, so do I."

**REC ROOM– 5:35 PM**

FAITH'S POV

Watching Red and Emma draw a large circle on the floor with multi-colored sand, I realize how much I _don't_ know about witchcraft. Seeing the two of them prepare, set up and now begin the spell, I realize how far into the mystic realms we are venturing. I never thought about the Spell like that before, don't know why, I guess I should have. Maybe it's because I was at the seal with Buffy and the potentials in Sunnydale. Ken saw this then and is watching with clear awe on her face. I look up to see B smiling at me. Smiling back, I wink then return my gaze to Emma.

She's a map of concentration: eyes half closed holding Willow's hands across the candles they have with them in the circle. You can make out a thin sheen of sweat start to cover their faces, then together, they start to chant the Spell:

"Oh valde dea ubertas quod ortus audite nostrum dico."

_Oh great goddess of fertility and birth hear our call._

"Oh valde dea pugna commodo audite nos quoque."

_Oh great goddess of the hunt please hear us too._

"Subsisto vox advehoTrucidos in a vestigium notus ut tantum nos."

_Stay the power of the Slayers to come into a mark known to only us._

"Permissum suus munia exsisto suscipio procul vicis suus 6570th dies."

_Let her gifts be received at the time of her 6570th day._

"Temerarius nostrum placitum pro bonus Trucido quod bonus totus populus."

_Heed our plea for the good of the Slayer and the good of all peoples._

"Permissum is exsisto sic, iam."

_Let this be so, now._

A white light bursts from them, surrounding them then steadily swirling into a circle, blowing out the candles and sweeping up the dust from the floor. As they repeat the chant, the light and the dust intermingle creating a blinding flash. We can't even see them anymore through the glare. I hear them chanting though and their voices seem to be getting stronger and stronger as they repeat it.

The white light flashes to all the colors I could ever name, and some I couldn't. The swirling wind created from the almost living beams becomes more powerful and you can see Emma and Red are struggling to remain upright. There is at once a loud crack like thunder as the light rises to hover above them on the ceiling. We are all transfixed.

Breathing heavily, Willow and Emma open their eyes then once more say:

"Permissum is exsisto sic, iam."

_Let this be so, now._

The hovering light starts to shimmer, then glow bright white again. It starts its slow circles once more then picks up speed. When the motion becomes so fast I can hardly tell it's even moving, it arcs, forming two ends, one of each slams into Em and Red then disappears. They both fall to the floor.

Buffy, Ken and I just stand there, frozen in place. After about a minute, we hear Andrew and Dawn on the intercom from their office, "It worked! It worked! We have a teal light in Prague!!"

Ken goes to Red as B and I kneel down next to Emma.

"You ok?" I put her head in my lap.

She looks up at me and Buffy, "That was fucking incredible."

"Yeah, you got that right," I laugh as I help her up and bring her to one of the couches. "Why don't you rest up a little, ok?"

Emma nods then looks over to Red, "We rock Will."

"Damn straight we do," Willow manages to reply, then she closes her eyes.

Em sits up then rests her head back on the couch as she catches her breath, "You up for doing the next step or do you wanna wait? I seriously think I have more energy now then when we started."

"I say we do it now." Will nods as she replies.

Ken smirks as she walks over to the intercom, "Andrew? Dawn?"

"Yeah?" they answer in unison.

She shakes her head, "The witches want to go for broke, so prepare for phase 2."

"Cool," Andrew drawls out. Man, I can almost see him wringing his hands.

So they start again with the candles and sand. And again there are lights, there is wind and there is Latin:

"Oh valde dea pugna commodo audite nos."

_Oh great goddess of the hunt please hear us._

"Subsisto vox Trucidos quisnam ago sub 1825 dies in a vestigium notus ut tantum nos."

_Stay the power of the Slayers who live under 1825 days into a mark known to only us._

"Permissum suus munia exsisto suscipio procul vicis of suus 6570th dies."

_Let her gifts be received at the time of her 6570th day._

"Temerarius nostrum placitum pro bonus Trucido quod bonus totus populus."

_Heed our plea for the good of the Slayer and the good of all peoples._

"Permissum is exsisto sic, iam."

_Let this be so, now._

This time the magic blast at the end knocks them both out. We get them settled on the couches to sleep off the magic induced high then go up to see the map. Andrew and Dawn are sitting back in their chairs staring at it and the 5,000+ twinkling teal lights that joined the other colors Willow had spelled years ago.

Buffy looks around at all of us as a huge grin spreads across her face, "They really did babe," she takes my hand, "there's a rightness I feel and I can't explain why, but it's there."

"I know, I feel it too," I squeeze her hand. Maybe this is the start of us finally getting some control. I would never say it out loud, but I pray to the Gods it is.

**NICKY'S ROOM– 6:18 PM**

NICKY'S POV

Everyone is all hyped up and concentrating on the spell so I've been trying to keep out of the way. I'm upstairs in my room reading as everyone else is doing the big spell. Faith originally wanted me to stay with Clem, but then she and Buffy talked some, and then they told me so stay at the house

So I'm lying here reading "Vampires & Slayers: The Myths Destroyed" when I'm nearly knocked off my bed by the force of the magic swirling in the house. Willow and Emma are generating so much power, I feel like I'm in the same room with them. Good God, I thought the first blast was intense, but they must be doing the second spell now because the power is so strong I'm panting, gasping for air.

Then, suddenly, it recedes, like how a fog lifts. It takes me a second to realize I hear a phone ringing. Getting up, I follow the sound until I realize it's Emma's, so I go into her room. Picking up her cell from her desk I see from the screen it's Sophia, so I answer, "Hi Sophia, it's Nicky."

She sharply inhales, "What is going on? Is Emma ok?"

"They're doing the spell and," I close my eyes and _feel_ for Emma and Willow. Smiling, I open my eyes, "they're both fine, just wiped out. They're sleeping now." Suddenly realizing this is kinda weird, her calling to see if Em's ok... "Why did you think something was wrong with Emma?"

Sophia is silent for a moment, "I, I don't know, I just felt her. It was so strong, it's like a part of her touched me. I guess I was feeling her magic."

"Wow, that's really cool, and you're not even an Empath!" Then I wonder how can she do that if she's not?

I hear her laugh, "Yeah, scary when you don't know what's going on, but kinda cool too I guess. Look, I have to go back to work. Can you tell Emma I called?"

"Sure, she'll probably need to sleep for a while though. But I'll let her know when she wakes up." I'm about to say goodbye, when I remember this morning, "Oh, and everyone loved the crepes with duce de leche! They want it every morning now."

She laughs again, "I'm glad, it's always been a crowd pleaser. I have to run, but I'll see you soon ok?"

"Really?" I miss Sophia.

I hear her sigh, "Well, maybe not too soon, let me see what I can do?"

"Ok, bye," I hang up then go back to my room and my reading.


	14. A Good Match

**Chapter 14: A Good Match**

**MID JULY - DRIVEWAY - FRIDAY– 4:00 AM**

EMMA'S POV

It's 4:00am by the time I get home. I've been at the hospital for a week straight, living on nasty cheeseburgers and 3 hours of sleep a day. I'm done with nights now and this last week of doubles just earned me some much needed time off, and can I say thank the freaking Gods? I got another resident to cover my last few hours cause I'm seriously fried. In the beginning it felt good to throw myself into work and not worry about all those other minor details in my life. You know, like Richard lurking around, the end of the world, and of course, Sophia.

Gods, it's been two months since I drove her to the airport. Just a short, yet lingering hug, then she was gone. We've both been inundated at work but have managed to make a couple of quick calls. It's hard because she works days and I've been working nights. It seems every time I get a moment to myself, it's some ungodly hour, like now. So we've been emailing a lot.

Taking a deep breath, I stand at the front gate and close my eyes. Concentrating on 'seeing' inside the house, I disarm the perimeter alarms. Once inside, I rearm it all and pad into the kitchen. Finding absolutely nothing of interest in the fridge, I grab a bottled water and head upstairs.

Changing for bed, I think how weird this is with her: it's like we've known each other for years, but we're getting to know a different side of each other now, little by little through our daily notes. I think it's because the written word lends itself to making you be more 'real' about who you are. You don't get caught up in the cadence of a voice, body language, clothing, that kinda thing. The words are all you have to express yourself so you choose them more carefully.

I can't help but think about her all the time. It's kinda weird "feeling" her so strongly but not physically seeing her. Faith said that's how it is with her and Buffy. She said it was hard to deal with in the beginning, when the PtB first changed her. Cause while Buffy lost her connection to Faith, Faith's actually increased because of being part Empath. Gods, feeling her so much freaks me out, but Faith said it gets easier with time.

Sighing, I crawl into bed and realize that in a way it helps that she's in Chicago and I'm here. It kinda ensures that we'll take it slow cause it doesn't really give us a whole lot of chances to fuck it up. But, damn I miss her… I miss her a lot. Lately I've been feeling… I can't say wrong, maybe 'not right' is better. Just been kinda sad and sorta empty for a while, I've really been gong through the motions since she left. This 'feelings' business is all new to me and not seeing her is getting me down. Grabbing my other pillow I hug it close to me then close my eyes. I fall asleep thinking: maybe baby steps are a good thing in the long run, but right now it really sucks.

_I'm walking through the vineyards on a clear day. The air is dry and warm, it's a gorgeous day. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, it's a different smell, it is so soothing, almost medicinal. A breeze blows through the air then I realize: eucalyptus, I don't know how I know, I've never been around those types of trees, but I just do._

_The sun feels warm on my face as I leisurely stroll through the rows of grapes just waiting to become some lovely wine. I kick the dirt and notice it's bone dry, which is ideal because the grape loves to be mistreated. 'And as Mother Nature abuses the vine, man is sure to perfect the wine.' I laugh at the little rhyme my father used to say as I happen upon a trail leading upwards into the low rolling hills._

_I start to think about my parents as I follow it to the top then turn back to see where I came from: the vineyards go on for miles, over the hills and through the valleys. I bow my head, it's been so long since I thought of them, I can barely remember their faces, things we did together, it's all just pieces now. But now no matter how long it's been, when I think of 'home' it will always be in South Africa with them. I love Buffy, Faith and Nicky; and I know they love me very much, but sometimes I just long for my lost family, my lost life with them, my home._

_Sighing in my new-found melancholy, I look up and am shocked to see her standing there, staring out over the mission below. She hears as I approach and turns to me._

"_What are you doing here?" There's a mixture of confusion and happiness on her face._

_I take in the sight of her and shake my head, "I don't know; I was just walking in the vineyard. It reminded me of home."_

_Her eyes wash over me "I miss you," she states plainly._

_Smiling slowly, "I miss you too." Stepping forward, I engulf her in a hug. Oh, the tingly feeling thing works here too, sweet. "Where are we?" I pull back and point to the mission and small city below._

_Feeling her hand drop to my waist, Sophia guides me to the edge of the hill, "This is Soledad, California. It's a little town between San Francisco and Los Angeles, about 150 miles north of Sunnydale. When we first came from Spain, we got lost and asked where 'The evil ones live.' The migrant workers in the fields sent us here, thinking we meant the state prison, we were such fools then." She shakes her head and laughs._

"_It's absolutely beautiful," once again I look out over the town and surrounding vineyards, the sadness now gone as I stand by her side._

_She nods, "It reminds me of Laguardía near Barcelona. You said you have something similar in South Africa?"_

"_Yes, Paarl, it's just outside of Cape Town, all you need are the…" I pause because I can't believe what I'm seeing, "peacocks…" I say slowly as I watch a flock walk among the rows. Wow, I had no idea they did that here in the states too._

_Turning to me she tilts her head to the side, "So what brings you into my dream, Emma. I try to find peace when I dream of this place, and now… I find you."_

"_I didn't mean to bust in," I look down a little self-conscious, "but I'm kinda glad I did." Now I look back up and smile, "It's really good to see you." Slipping my hand in hers, I intertwine our fingers. "I guess I'm here because I was thinking about you before I fell asleep."_

_She lightly rubs her thumb over the back of my hand, "Good thoughts I hope?"_

"_Yeah," I gently squeeze, "good thoughts."_

"_How you have grown, my child. I'm so very proud of you." Holy shit, that voice, it can't be. A chill runs through me as I look around only to see the hills and vineyards slowly melt away. We are now standing in a desert near a monolith. The sudden heat is oppressive. Through the distance I see a three-sided pyramid with stone benches surrounding it, wow, just like Nicky said. Sophia's grip on my hand tightens as Ereshkigal begins to materialize in front of us._

"_Um, hi, yeah, it's been a while," ok, that was intelligent. The three of us just stand there in silence until I notice the Goddess's eyes travel from me, to Sophia, then our clasped hands, well this isn't at all awkward, "This is Dr. Sophia Artiñano," I take a shallow breath, "Sophia, this is my Grandmother... um, the Goddess Ereshkigal."_

_Sophia nods at her then her vise-like grip loosens somewhat. Her eyes never leaving the Goddess, she asks evenly, "Where are we, Em?"_

"_You are on the plains of Nibiru, Slayer." The Goddess walks towards us, openly inspecting Sophia then turns to me. Lightly running her hands over my hair then cupping my face, she smiles at me, "You have chosen well, my child," again she looks to Sophia, narrowing her eyes contemplatively, "A Slayer as well as a healer, yes," she nods, "yes, it is a good match."_

_I'm having a mini-freak-out cause she's never touched me before and it feels like, like my Dad, but also kinda like... well, death... but not in a bad way? Gods, does that even make sense? I'm wondering if Sophia can feel it too as our hands are still joined, then I realize what the Goddess just said. I swallow, loudly, as I raise my eyebrows, more than a little embarrassed, "A good match?" I squeak out. Holy crap!_

"_There is no time now, listen to me well: The gathering is near, use the tools of your time to break the ancient vow." As her hands fall to my shoulders, she lightly caresses the new scar on my neck from the vampire's bite. I can't help but flinch. "Everything is connected Emma, your past, your future, all that has and will happen, has been foretold." Looking at Sophia then me, she smiles, kisses my forehead then backs away from us, "The child will show the way." Then she's gone._

_Sophia turns to face me, "What is that supposed to -"_

"It's 6:31 this beautiful July morning in the greater Cleveland area. Now it's time for traffic and weather on the one's…"

I pick up my alarm clock and smash it on the floor where it immediately becomes a mess of plastic and metal bits. "Mother fucker!" I must have set the alarm for am not pm like an idiot. I sit up panting, trying to calm down after being ripped out of the dream in conjunction with a dimension jump? Shit, I don't even know what it was. My cell phone rings. Scrambling to my jacket, I fish it out of my pocket and look at the screen: 'Sophia – Mobile' then flip it open.

"That really happened, right?" She asks, a little out of breath herself.

I laugh, a bit nervous, "Yeah."

"Wow, Emma that was... no, I have no words."

A jump can be overwhelming, especially when you've never done it before, "I know. You ok?"

"It was," she sighs; I can almost see her searching for the words, "just a little freaky."

I laugh again, "Yeah." Uh huh, first I bust into your dream, then my grandmother _the Goddess_ makes a special guest star appearance, whisks us through time and space to chat about us being a 'good match' and the end of the world. Sure it was 'just a little freaky'; I shake my head, "Talk about understatements." She really does sound ok though so that's a relief. "I should go and wake up the troops. You know, let them know what's happened. It sounds like we don't have a ton of time left to figure this out."

"Right, are you going to be home tonight so you can give me the scoop later?"

I nod, then realize the silence, ok freak, you're on the phone, she can't see you, "Oh, yeah, I'll be here, I have 3 full days off after my 7 days on."

"Good, I'll call you tonight when I get home," she pauses, "Em?"

"Yeah?" I'm actually a little scared. What's she gonna ask? Is she freaked by the 'good match' comment? I mean, cause I am…

She laughs, no doubt hearing the trepidation in my voice, "That's one really fucked up way to get the family blessing."

Feeling like my face is going to break from my smile, I completely relax. "I'm sorry; she really has that whole omnipotent-Goddess-of-the-Underworld thing going on doesn't she?"

"Hell, yeah," she chuckles again, "I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye."

I hang up and take a deep breath, man, that was intense. Going straight to my desk, I write down everything the Goddess said then read it over. Yeah, ok, time to wake up Buffy and Faith.

**KITCHEN – 8:05 AM**

DAWN'S POV

Ok, I feel bad for Emma, she just had this intense Slayer dream with Sophia and here we are tearing it to pieces looking for clues. She's sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands hovering over a cup of coffee while Andrew and Willow pour over her account of what happened. I put my hand over hers. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just really tired," she smiles then looks up at Andrew and Will, "Would you guys mind if I go back to sleep, the two hours plus dimension jump really isn't cutting it."

Everyone stops talking and turns to her. Faith puts her hand on Em's shoulder, "Go ahead, if we have any other questions we'll wait until you get up."

Once she left, we all go into my office and try once again to break down every single word the Goddess spoke. We try to stay away from the personal stuff. It's gotta be hard enough for both of them to deal with their feelings right now. They really don't need us pouring over things the Goddess said to Em, no doubt, that was on a completely personal note.

She is a trooper though, she wrote down ever word the Goddess said. She knows how important each word can be to help us figure out what Ereshkigal's clues might mean. I'm just really hoping nothing she said about them has anything to do with the prophecy.

We knew the quiet wouldn't last. I'm sure everyone is thinking it. Ever since Emma and Willow did the spell, we've been pretty much dealing with the small pockets of fallout from the kids losing their powers. Nothing very dramatic, since all their parents were all alerted it was going to happen. With over 5,000 kids being effected only about 10 were an issue that we had to spend the extra time on. For the most part it was behavioral, so Buffy and Kristen spent the last two months making trips out to see the girls who needed some extra attention in the transition. Hell, even Richard was keeping a low profile.

Shaking my head to myself, I can't help but feel that this is it; the Goddess said it herself, _"the gathering is near"_ Hmmm, the gathering is near... I get an idea then jump up to check out Minister Macgregor's diaries.

**EMMA'S ROOM – 11:18 AM**

NICKY'S POV

So I'm walking past Emma's room on the way to mine when I hear her call out. Running in, I see she's sleeping and having a bad dream; it's the dream when she got bitten. I go over to the bed and push my fingers through her hair, telling her it's alright. She stills after a while then falls back to sleep. Not wanting to leave her alone, I slide in next to her and give her a big hug.

After a half hour or so, she starts mumbling. I'm thinking she's gonna have another bad dream so I smooth her hair and tell her everything's gonna be alright again.

She softy calls out, "Sophia?" then opens her eyes.

"No, it's me, you were having bad dreams so I was giving you hugs," I tell her, very proud I soothed her back to sleep.

She smiles then raises her head up on one hand, "Did you now?"

"Yes, you were tossing and turning and saying 'please don't' so I brushed my hands through your hair and told you everything was going to be alright and then you went back to sleep." I scoot up, rest against the headboard then fold my arms, very proud of myself.

Emma laughs now, "Goddess Nicky, did you even take a breath? I think you're hanging out with Willow too much." She flops back into the pillow and rests her arm over her eyes. I think now is a really good time to ask…

"Is Sophia your girlfriend now?"

She takes her arm from her eyes and looks at me as she rises, resting on her elbows, "Why do you think she's my girlfriend?"

"Well, you just called out her name in your sleep and I remember Faith did that once, calling out Buffy's name the same way. Then when you got hurt she never left your side, not even once, until she knew you were ok. And when you guys did the spell, she felt your power and called to make you were alright, so you guys have a mystic connection like Faith and Buffy. Then just before I heard the others talking about how the Goddess said you two were a 'good match'." I stop and think for a second while I catch my breath, "Those are all my reasons."

She shakes her head and laughs again, "Nothing gets by you does it?"

"Faith says I have big ears," I shrug, "Well, is she?"

She lays back down putting her hands behind her head, "I don't know, we haven't really talked about it."

"Well, do you _want_ her to be your girlfriend?" I ask not wanting to leave without an answer.

Em peers over to me, "Are you sure you're 11?"

I nod then raise my eyebrows looking for a response. Wow, I can't believe it, I think she's really gonna tell me.

"Yeah," she finally says after a while. Then she stares at the ceiling and nods, "I want her to be my girlfriend."

I jump out of bed and start for the door, "Well, then you should tell her." God, I think to myself, grown ups are so stupid sometimes.

**DOWNTOWN CHICAGO – SOPHIA'S APARTMENT – 10:05 PM**

SOPHIA'S POV

I'm exhausted, I couldn't get back to sleep after that dream or whatever the hell it was, then the hospital was a nightmare today, then Emma was all weird on the phone earlier. I don't understand it; Richard sent a note to Nicky? How the hell is he so involved in their lives? I've been going over all the Slayer updates from Dawn's posts on SC-Global Bulletin Board, but it doesn't go into a lot of detail:

- Richard Welch – Once again extremely dangerous – do not attempt to confront him without backup. He's been in Cleveland area for at least 2 months now. His latest MO is sending pictures/notes from the past and giving them to Slayers. More head games to keep everyone off balance. I can't stress enough – do not approach if you are on your own. Notify me immediately if you see him.

- Goddess Ereshkigal – Appeared in a Slayer dream, brought 2 Slayers to Nibiru. She left them with the task "use the tools of your time to break the ancient vow." We are accepting any interpretations. Contact Andrew or me with any insights.

Yeah, like I said not a lot of detail. I sigh then hear the knock at the door. Now, it's after 10 so I know this can't be a good thing. Putting my laptop down I go to answer it. As I get nearer to the door I start to feel a lightness in my chest. No way, it couldn't be... Opening the door I see her, leaning against the door jam. I'm speechless.

"Hey," she breathes out slowly as she pushes off the jam. She looks like she hasn't slept in a week.

Not really believing she's here, I step back and watch her walk in. Turning to her, I finally find words, "Em, what are you - " That's all I get out as she strides forward taking me into her arms. Wow, and I thought this morning was intense. I close my eyes and breathe in: her shampoo, soap, deodorant, perfume, mixing with her body, all those things that make a person's scent unique. Holding her close to me I feel her heart pounding against mine, tingles explode all over and then there are these little shocks on my back where her hands are pushing me into her.

"Goddess, I missed you so much, I - I just needed to see you, I - " she lifts her head, eyes searching mine, then she's kissing me. I'm expecting to be devoured by her intensity, but instead I'm awed by her gentleness. Her lips leisurely, almost lazily traverse over mine. My heart jumps as I feel her open her mouth; her tongue slowly tracing the outline of my lips, so very slowly feeling, tasting, exploring. Her hands slide up to my hair as I open my mouth to her, caressing her tongue with mine. I feel… no, I can't even begin to describe what I feel. Hell, I don't even realize she's walking me backwards until I'm up against the door. As she continues to press her body into mine it slams shut.

Breaking away, panting, I lean my head back against the door; her head falls to my shoulder, "God Emma." My eyes still closed; I'm lost in the feeling of her entire body against mine, her lips resting against my neck, her gasping breath so hot and wet on my skin, I can't help but shudder.

"I know," she kisses my neck then faces me as she shakes her head. She grudgingly takes a step back and looks down, "I didn't mean to attack you as soon as you opened the door."

Smiling, I lift her chin with my forefinger, "So the attacking was going to be for later then?"

"Maybe if you're lucky," she laughs a little then looks up at me, "I really just needed to see you." She shakes her head again and sighs, "This morning was kinda freaky as you said. Then the day just got worse…"

"Come on, sit down," I take her hand and lead her into the living room. After depositing her on the couch I ask, "Wine, beer, something stronger?"

"Wine's good," she puts her face in her hands and rubs her eyes, "I really hope you don't mind me parachuting in on you. I just needed to talk to you, to see you; the phone wasn't going to cut it this time." She sits back as I open the bottle then pour two very healthy glasses of wine.

Grabbing the glasses with one hand and the bottle with the other, I place everything on the coffee table then face her. "Of course I don't mind," I squeeze her knee as I sit down next to her, "I missed you too, just like I told you this morning." I laugh, "I just didn't expect you to turn up at my door at 10pm on a Friday night."

"I don't want you to think I came here to… I mean there's a hotel a few blocks away if you don't want me to stay here..." Turning to me, she furrows her brow then takes a huge breath, "I'd never push you or try to force anything. That particular shot is yours to call," she runs her hand down my back. "I just wanted; I needed to be close to you."

Putting my fingers to her mouth, I finally stop her, "Shhh. Of course you can stay here and I wasn't thinking that." As I look at her, I realize she's probably _never_ given anyone that much power before. "We'll see about everything else in its own time, ok?"

She nods, kisses my fingers then takes my hand from her lips. Intertwining it with hers, she looks up at me and smiles, "Feels better in the flesh, no"

"Yeah," I smile then hand her a glass as I take the other, "Tell me what happened today. Dawn's posts are skimpy and you were just plain weird on the phone before."

She drains half the glass, "Maybe I should have asked for something stronger."

"I can get - " I make a move to stand.

Emma pulls me into her, "No, it's fine; I kinda want my wits about me." She leans her head back on the couch then begins: "It actually started out as a pretty cool day; I shared your dream, which was very nice," she smiles, "Even seeing Ereshkigal wasn't awful, she is my grandmother after all. And, hey, she did give us her 'blessing'," she laughs. "Then the Scooby's got together and I told them everything that happened," she lowers her head, "Soph, I told them everything she said, I had to, it might be important."

"It's ok, Em, I understand," I squeeze her hand, "go on." There is _no _reason for us to be this comfortable together, considering we haven't seen each other in months, but I'm thanking the Gods we are.

She finishes her wine and with a grin refills both of our glasses. "So then I went back to sleep cause I think I got 10 hours this entire week. The next thing I know I wake up lying next to Nicky who's smoothing my hair telling me everything gonna be alright. That kid, God, I love that kid." She shakes her head then continues, "So we're talking and you know what she said?" She doesn't even wait for me to guess. "Yeah, you'll never guess what she said; she asked if you were my girlfriend."

"What?" Ok I'm totally shocked; an 11 year old picked up on us? The rest of the crew seeing it I get, but Nicky? Then I think for a second, intrigued, "What did you say?"

She smiles, "I said we haven't talked about it yet. But then she asked if I _wanted_ you to be my girlfriend."

"And you said…" Jesus Christ, do I really want to know the answer to that? Yeah, there are feelings here and we're sharing some amazing Slayer connection thingie but she said it herself, she just doesn't do relationships, and I really don't think I can be casual about this so…

Emma puts her glass down and fully turns to me, "I said yes." I sit there; stunned as she runs her fingers over my hands and smiles. "Then she said I needed to tell you." She takes my glass and puts it on the table. Looking directly into my eyes she says evenly, "I want you to be my girl, Sophia," she takes a huge breath as she moves closer and once again, I fall into her orbit, leaning in to meet her. "I want you to always be my girl," she whispers just before we share another heart stopping kiss. Then, slowly pulling away, she traces down the side of my face with the back of her hand, "I know this is all very new and overwhelming, so I don't want you to say anything yet, just promise me you'll think about, ok?"

I open my mouth to speak, but she quickly covers it with a kiss. Pulling back again, she gives me an intense stare; it's as if the brown of her eyes has melted into the black of her pupils. I am so consumed by her smoldering look, I just nod.

She smiles then continues, "So Nicky had her dramatic moment then left me alone to fester about everything she said. The rest of the day was pretty slow, I hung with Dawn and Andrew combing over everything the Goddess said. Then right before dinner, Nicky came running in from the backyard saying a strange man gave her a picture of her and her parents in Sanal. Of course he was gone when we went to check it out. Andrew was pissed cause he had no idea how someone could get past his sensors." She sighs and turns to me, "It was actually a really good picture of them. They were sitting in their camp just hanging out, laughing. His writing was on the back of it saying:

_My Dear Nicky,_

_Your parents died to protect you. Do you think Buffy & Faith will as well?_

_Until we meet again,_

_Richard_

Nicky was all kinds of freaked out. She wouldn't leave Buffy and Faith's side at all. I'll bet you anything she sleeping with them tonight. The poor thing was really fucked up. I tried to be there for her, you know, like she was for me, but she needed them. She needed parents not a sister." She bows her head and takes a deep breath, "Then I found this on the back porch," She reaches into her back pocket and hands me a picture of a couple with a small child on the beach.

Holy shit, it must be Emma and her parents. Turning it over, I see the sprawling 15th Century handwriting:

_My Darling Emma,_

_The smell of your blood haunts me still. Soon I will be the one to taste you._

_Until we meet again,_

_Richard_

Pretty much blown away, I hand it back to her, "Jesus Christ, Em."

She stares at the photo for a while, "You know it's kind of bittersweet," she shakes her head, "I never had a picture of my parents, everything was destroyed when the Coven…" she trails off, in her own world for a moment, then she looks up at me, "In the dream, this morning, before I saw you, I was thinking about them and how I was beginning to forget what they looked like." Looking down again, she traces their outlines.

Watching her, I see she's barely keeping it together, "Hey," I rub her back until she turns to me. "Look, I have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning, but I get out early in the afternoon, then I'm off all Sunday and Monday. When do you have to be back?"

"Monday, I go back to days on Tuesday morning," Gods, I've never seen her so… beaten, not even after that vamp bit her.

Taking her hand, I formulate a plan, "Stay until Monday, that way you can have the whole weekend away from everything. I'll show you my town. What do you say?"

"You sure?" She looks up at me, "I mean I don't want to be a pain in your ass. I figured we'd just talk then I'd leave in the morning." She looks down at our joined hands.

Tilting my head, all kinds of confused now, I furrow my brow, "Do you want to leave tomorrow morning?"

"No," she's still staring at our hands.

I gently squeeze and she looks up at me, "Then stay."

"Ok," she says slowly then nods. "I um, kinda need to call the house though, I didn't tell anyone I was coming here." Taking in my widening eyes, she continues quickly, "It wasn't like I planned it or anything. I hung up with you then threw some stuff in a bag, got in my car and drove to the airport. I even forgot my cell." She laughs, "I just ran to catch the last flight here. I never thought I was actually going to _make_ it."

Dropping her hand, I get up and grab my phone, "Have you lost you mind? They're probably crazy worried about you!" I shake my head as I hand her the phone, "It's speed dial 2." She sheepishly makes the call. While she's talking to Faith, I clean up our glasses and my long forgotten late dinner.

By the time I'm finished, she's already hung up with Faith. She's resting her head on the back of the couch, eyes closed. I take a deep breath then pick up her backpack and bring it into my bedroom. Coming back into the living room I see she still hasn't moved a muscle. "Hey." I whisper as I run my hand through her hair.

She leans into my hand as she groans, "Mmmm."

"Come on sleepy," I gently take her hand, "time to get changed and go to bed."

Slowly her eyes open and a small smile comes to her lips, "K," she lets me pull her up and we walk to my room. Grabbing her backpack she wanders into the washroom, "I'll be out in a sec."

When she comes back in, I look up and realize again just how incredibly tired she looks. I shake my head and get up, "Go get comfortable, I'll be back in a minute." When I do, she's in the middle of the bed straining to stay awake.

"I didn't know what side you sleep on," she murmurs groggily, her exhaustion complete.

Moving to the left side, near the alarm, I slide into bed as she makes room for me. Total and complete awkwardness descends on us for a moment, then with a deep breath, I shake it off, "Just come here," and I open my arms. She smiles as she scoots over, laying her head on my shoulder and wrapping an arm around my waist.

"This is nice," she murmurs into my neck with a contented sigh.

I close my eyes as that hum travels between us, "Yeah, it is," kissing the top of her head, "Get some sleep."

"K, goodnight," she hugs me tightly then I feel her entire body relax against mine.

Reaching over, I turn out the light then lean back against the pillow. I gently rub her back until I feel her breathing slow to shallow, even, breaths, "Sleep well, Em," I whisper. She mumbles incoherently then snuggles in closer to me. Sighing, I wonder, God is this really happening? Has it ever felt this good? Has anything ever felt this indescribably right? Has anyone ever made me just _feel_ like she makes me feel? As I rub my chin along the top of her head, I lose myself in the pure sensation of just holding her in my arms. Knowing the answers to my silent questions, I whisper again, "Nothing would make me happier than to be your girl, Emma." Kissing her forehead again, I close my eyes and join her in some much needed sleep.


	15. Prelude

**Chapter 15: Prelude**

**NEXT MORNING - BACKPORCH – SATURDAY - 5:57 AM**

**FAITH'S POV**

The house is quiet as day slowly breaks. I close my eyes and do a mental 'sweep' of the neighborhood. Not feeling anything around, I figure all the nasties must be on their way home. I guess it was foolish of me to think Richard would come back and actually face me, the mother fucking coward.

"Hey," B comes outside and joins me on the chair, crawling right onto my lap and wrapping herself around me. "Thought I'd try and convince you to come to bed."

Leaning my head against her shoulder, I lay the 9mm on the table and pull her into a hug, "Sounds like a good idea," I sigh, "Nicky's still sleeping?"

"Yeah, she's in our room, I left her cuddling Mr. Gordo." She rests her head on mine, "How was Emma when she got back from her drive last night?"

I rub her back, "She didn't." Buffy immediately tenses then turns to me. Realizing what a stupid thing that was to say, I quickly add, "It's ok, she hopped the last shuttle to Chicago that's all. She called last night from Sophia's to let us know she was ok."

"Wow," B rests her head back on mine.

Lacing my hands together, I pull her back into me, "I think she was really at a breaking point yesterday. She needs more than just us right now."

"I know," she sighs, "So much of what's happening is hinging on her and Nicky. Richard must know a lot more about the prophecy than we do. That's probably why he's trying to keep them unnerved."

I watch as the sun finally comes over the tree line, "She's staying there till Monday."

"Really?" Buffy pulls back and raises her eyebrows.

Nodding, "I think it's a good idea, she needs a break from all this. It's too fucking stressful for her here. And if Richard's here and she's in Chicago, then it's all the better." I smile, "Besides they need time together without all of us around." I pause for a moment, think about it, then say it anyway, "Things are going to start happening fast, B, it might be the only chance they get."

"Don't," she turns my head to face her, "we'll figure this out and stop it."

I shake my head, "I dunno, B. It's been 3 years since I came back and sometimes I feel like we don't know anything more now than we did then."

"You know that's not true," her hands move to my shoulders and she rubs her thumbs along my neck, "We've been slow but steady. We'll work it out, babe. It's what we do, right?"

Nodding again, I'm not sure if I believe what she's saying but I know if I don't, I should just keep it to myself. I turn bringing her close for a kiss, "I won't say another word, I promise."

"Faith," she groans as she gets up and pulls me up towards the door, "Come on, maybe you won't be so doom and gloom after you get some rest." As we make our way inside she turns to me, "Dawn thinks she was onto something last night. She and Andrew were pouring over the diaries again."

Right, like they haven't been doing that for a month, hmmm, I better settle for the neutral, "Cool."

"I know you don't mean that, so stop patronizing me," she narrows her eyes at me.

Trying for my best innocent look, "What?"

"You could never lie to me Faith, _never,_ even when we were kids..." she playfully swats at my arm.

Smirking, I can't help my grin spread, "Yeah, I know."

"There's a ton of information to cover, so sometimes things just pop out at you even after you've read it a million times." She looks at me imploringly, "You know this Faith, you know it as well as I do." She pours a glass of water then hands it to me. "Let's get some rest then check in with Dawn later on ok?"

I nod, then with one hand wrapped around my girl, the other around a pint of water, I go upstairs for a morning nap.

**SOPHIA'S APARTMENT – 1:34 PM**

**EMMA'S POV**

The ringing phone cuts through the silence and I cringe at the thought of getting out of bed. Pushing my face into the pillow I'm hugging, I inhale deeply then sigh as I realize where I am. Eyes still closed, I revel in just being here, surrounded by her scent, her presence, sound of her voice speaking to someone in Spanish. I hear her hang up then feel her coming closer. Rolling onto my back, I open my eyes to Sophia's mane of dark brown hair and gorgeous green eyes moving toward me. "You are _so_ beautiful," my voice still raspy from sleep, I breathe out my discovery in amazement. It's like I'm seeing her for the first time.

"You're not so bad looking yourself," she laughs as she sits next to me. "You sleep ok?

Reaching out, I lightly run my hand down her arm, "Yeah, better than I have in long time." Stretching, I ask, "Thought you had work?"

"I did," she smiles.

Narrowing my eyes at her then whipping my head to the clock-radio, I can't believe... "No way is it 1:30! I did not sleep for 14 hours." I look back at her disbelievingly, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Yeah, you kinda did," she brushes her hand through my hair. "You were out cold when I got up at 6. And let me tell ya, it was a lot of fun getting out of the death grip you had on me without waking you," she smiles teasingly at me.

Not really trying to hide my sheepish grin, I reach for her, "Yeah, I should have warned you about that."

"It was nice," she lets me pull her close so now she's leaning over me, her arms scoop under my shoulders. She seems comfortable with the closeness, even relaxed as she trails her hand against my cheek, "You must be starving. How about some lunch? Well, I guess brunch for you." Then she flips her hair to the side as only people who've had long hair all their lives can do so effortlessly. God damn, that was sexy.

Tightening my hold on her, I whisper, "Not just yet," as I rise up a little to capture her lips. God, I think I'm becoming addicted to kissing her. I'm not sure if it's because I'm still half asleep or because I can't believe I'm really here with her, but this feels so dream-like: the softness of her lips, the bolts of electricity running though us, that slow ache spreading through my body.

This is not like last night's kiss, no, not a chance. The trepidation is gone, leaving this overwhelming yearning in its wake. I pull her down, dragging the length of her body against mine. My hands move from her waist, slide up her back then I bury them in her hair. Hers slip through the straps of my tank, caressing my shoulders. Needing to feel more of her skin against mine, my fingers trail down and graze the hem of her shirt finding their way underneath to the smooth skin of her back. Her arms tighten around me as my hands creep up her back; her skin is so incredibly soft. She breaks away for a moment to trail kisses down my jaw and neck but thankfully returns to my lips quickly because now I _know_ I've become addicted to kissing her.

Trying to get impossibly closer, I arch into her, my leg slowly rises between hers. She moans into my mouth as I grasp her shoulders, slowly moving her against me. I feel like, God, like I'm drowning in her, it's so powerful, so completely consuming. It's… euphoric, this feeling of my body and mind, my very soul, coming alive with hers. Yes, I hear my blood pounding through my veins and an overwhelming desire to make love to her is enveloping me, but there's more than that. I feel the need to connect with her on so many levels. Sweet Goddess, Buffy was right, this is so much more than physical.

She pulls back with a start, gasping, eyes still closed, "I am _never_ going to get used to this..."

"Never," I pant out as I shake my head, trying to capture her lips once again.

Then, slowly opening her eyes, she rests her head on mine as she tries really hard to keep her voice steady, "I can't, Em… I - I'm just not ready..."

"Shhh, it's ok," I take a few deep breaths as I caress her back, "it's ok," I try to sooth her. I don't really care about keeping my voice steady; I'm too busy trying my very best just to calm down and get this want under control. Searching her eyes, I see my thoughts aren't too far from hers, but I also see she's uncertain and maybe just a little scared. Shit, too fast, ok, mental STOP sign... big, red, octagon... Then by the sheer force of my will, I lower my leg and command my arms to slide out from under her shirt and rest on her waist. Needing to get out of this position, this close proximity to her, I smile as I exhale, "Why don't you let me take a shower and I'll buy you brunch, ok?"

She traces her thumb down the side of my face to my bottom lip then nods as she swallows, "Yeah." The look in her eyes is such a conundrum of feelings: desire, fear, and, yes, gratitude. She kisses me softy then smiles as she pulls away. Leaning up, I watch as she makes her way to the living room then fall back into bed. Yeah, so, slow is not gonna be easy. I shake my head then jump out of bed and find myself looking forward to a nice long shower.

My nice long shower becomes a 5 minute shower when Faith's thoughts come crashing into my mind:

'_Hey, everything's ok; Buffy just wants you to call.'_

I send her back, _'Will do, give me a few minutes, I'm in the shower.'_

'_Alone?'_ She responds.

I laugh, _'Yes, alone, Jesus Faith!'_

'_Not for long I'm sure, right?'_ I can feel her smirk.

Now it's my turn to laugh, but instead, I stay silent, just to piss her off.

'_Aw, come on, if it was anyone else...'_

I cut her off, _'It's NOT anyone else.'_

'_I know,' _she answers seriously,_ 'So how you feel? You ok?'_

'_Yeah, I slept for ages so I'm doing a lot better.'_

'_Good, call B then relax already.' _Then she's gone.

I walk into the living room in my standard uniform: blue jeans and a T-shirt. I towel dried my hair and am now "brushing" it with my fingers. I'm starving but I know I have to phone Buffy first. Looking over to Sophia who's on the couch going through the SCBB, I ask, "Do you mind if I call Buffy real quick before we go? Faith just told me she wants to talk to me."

She shakes her head, "Sure, go ahead." Then she laughs, "I'll never get over the fact you guys can do that." She stops then looks back up at me, "Wait, is everything ok? Is Nicky ok?"

"Yeah, Faith just said Buffy wanted to talk for a minute." Picking up the phone I punch in the speed dial then punch in Buffy's extension.

"This is Dawn Summers. How can I help you?"

That's weird, I coulda swore… "Hey Dawn, it's Emma, I'm sorry, I thought I put in Buffy's extension. Can you transfer me?"

"She forwarded her calls here, Em. Hang on a sec."

I hear some rustling then, "Hey Em, how you feeling?"

"Good," I look over to Sophia, "A lot better actually."

There's a pause, "Everything going ok so far?"

"Yeah, we were just going to go to brunch." I'm getting a bad feeling. "What's wrong Buff?"

I hear her take a breath, "Nicky was really freaked when she couldn't find you this morning. Faith tried to tell her you were ok, but she was inconsolable. I know you need to chill out over there, but can you just talk to her for a little bit?"

"Shit," Sophia looks up at the tone of my voice, "of course, put her on." I mouth 'Nicky's upset.' She nods and gives me a look of encouragement.

More rustling now, then, "Emma? Are you ok? You weren't here, I went to your room and you were gone, and I knew you didn't have work and I thought, I thought…"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm fine, hot stuff, I'm just taking your advice from yesterday and went to Chicago last night to see a special lady," I wink at Sophia as I walk around the room.

Nicky gasps then lowers her voice, "You told her you want her to be your girlfriend?"

"Yes, I did," I can't help but laugh, she's so excited. Looking up, I see Sophia is smiling as she reads, shaking her head.

The kid can barely control herself, "And???"

"Well, I told her," I walk over to where Sophia is sitting and stand behind her. Running my hand though her hair, she leans her head back, resting against my stomach as she continues to read, "then I said I wanted her to think about it before she answers me."

Nicky sighs, "How long are you gonna wait?"

"Well," moving her head back further so she's looking up at me, "I'll wait as long as it takes." Holding Sophia's eyes to mine, I let my words wash over her. She smiles as I trace the outline of her jaw, "You want to know a secret, Nick?"

"Well, yeah," she says as if I'm an utter moron.

"I think I have a pretty good shot." Sophia slowly nods as she mouths 'me too'. I can't stop the tremendous grin from forming on my face.

I hear Nicky take a deep breath, "When are you coming home, Em?"

"I'll be back Monday afternoon. Is that ok?" I'm starting to get a little worried about her, "Do you need me to come back sooner?" Sophia cocks her head then shoots me a concerned look.

Nicky rushes out her words, "No, no, no, you should be with Sophia. I'm ok; I just wanted to talk to you. _Him_ giving me that picture scared me. Then Faith told me he gave you one too, then you weren't here, then I called your cell and it's here – you _never_ forget your cell. Faith told me you where there but - ."

"I understand. But you don't have to worry; Sophia is taking very good care of me, I promise," Then, on cue, Sophia clasps my hand, and it immediately soothes me. "You sure you're alright, Nick?"

I can almost see her pouting, "Yeah, I didn't mean to be a big baby."

"You're not a big baby, there's a lot of really messed up stuff going on. Stay close to Faith and Buffy, they'll take care of you. Then I'll be back on Monday and we can hang out ok?" I mindlessly trace the back of Sophia's hand, "Some foosball maybe?"

I feel a smile creep to her face, "You mean just you and me? Like old times?"

"It's a date. I'll see you then, ok?" I walk back to the telephone table in the corner.

She murmurs, "Uh huh, oh, and please be careful. And say hello to Sophia for me? I really like her Em, I like her for you. I think you guys are perfect together."

"Will do, and so do I," I'm about to say goodbye when something occurs to me, "Nick, you can always use telepathy to reach me if you ever need me."

She sighs, "But my Mom always said not to, that it's an intrusion."

"Not if you don't abuse it. I'm telling you now; if you ever need me you can contact me that way. Faith and I do it when we need to; well, and sometimes when we're just lazy."

"Ok, I'll think about it, see you Monday."

"See you," I put the phone back in its cradle then sit down next to Sophia.

She rests her hand on my thigh, "She ok?"

"Yeah, Faith told her Richard gave me a picture with a note too then she freaked I wasn't there even though Faith told her I was here." Running my hand over hers, I look up and smile, "she told me to say 'hi' for her. She likes you."

Nodding, she grins, "She's a good kid, precocious as all hell though." She turns thoughtful, "I guess that's from not really being around kids her age. She was just with her parents those first 8 years then with you guys these last 3." She shakes her head, "It must so hard for her, being surrounded by all of this so young, seeing her parents killed, then knowing she plays a major role in some crazy prophecy written thousands of years ago."

"It's not so bad," I say a little flat, looking at our intertwined hands, not really knowing if I'm talking for Nicky or me.

I feel her hand on my chin, turning me to face her, "I'm _so_ sorry, I didn't even think." Shit, she looks upset.

"Hey," I lean into her, "It's ok. It's sorta like, how can you miss what you never had, right? So if you never had a normal life, you can't really know what it is you're missing." Shrugging, I continue, "It's just how I feel. Well, how both of us feel, we've talked about it a lot. We're like our own support group." I coax out a small smile, so I go for broke, "The only one we're missing is Faith to complete the whole rotten-childhood-surrounded-by-crazy-mojo chat sessions."

She shakes her head, "I can't believe you can make jokes about it." She smiles at me then rubs her thumb against my cheek, "You're amazing."

"Yeah, amazingly hungry, let's go get something to eat," I lean into her hand, "come on, I'll tell you some funny stories about the doctors in Durban."

**WIILOW'S OFFICE – 3:59 PM**

**DAWN'S POV**

"Here it is Will, from Ian's later diary: 'He tells me he's been called to guarantee the assembly of the mongrels who will desecrate the Heavens with their mortality.' And then he goes on to say: 'I fear for his sanity as well as his soul. What demons are these that turn men into predators, craving blood for life? Surely the promise of immortality in exchange for an eternity in darkness must be the work of devils not gods.'"

Willow takes the book from me, "I still don't get how Richard goes from Miller's son to the gopher of the gods. Why was he chosen to be sure they get to Nibiru? We are so missing a couple of pieces of the puzzle."

"We'll get there," I say as I read over her shoulder.

We've been pouring over the diaries since Vi sent them, but this new one was just found in Scotland. It had been hidden in the family estate of one of Ian Macgregor's relatives. Now we know why.

Willow looks up at me, "So Richard not only spared the Pastor, but sought his council?" She sits back in her chair, "That is so bizarre; I mean Angel and Spike killed everyone they knew once they were turned, they didn't befriend them."

"Actually Buffy once told me that Spike turned his mom because she was sick, he adored her." I think for a moment about Spike, there are so many feelings his name stirs up, from anger to love. Then I laugh to myself, he really was part of our dysfunctional family, huh? I shake my head and look at Will, "So maybe it's not uncommon for a vamp to 'haunt' if you will, a friend from their time of living?

She nods in agreement. Then she picks up the diary again, "The Anunnaki created vampires to safeguard their return… that is absolutely amazing." Looking over to me, "How many more of the later diaries are there?"

"A bunch, Vi is having them copied then sent here as they're completed. The family won't part with them, but they're allowing us to make the copies so Austin and his team are there now." I shake my head, "I'm amazed she found them. They were at the bottom of a trunk in the freaking Highlands of Scotland. How they stayed preserved all these years is beyond me."

Will, just looks at me with her eyebrows raised.

"Right, there's no such thing as coincidence," I sigh, "Ever get the feeling we're just marionettes for the Gods to play with?"

I can tell Willow is about to make a witty retort then she suddenly furrows her brow, "Wait, if the Anunnaki created vampires, were the shadow men who created the first Slayer Anunnaki too?"

"That would make a hell of a lot of sense." I get up and begin to pace, "Even at the last showdown with the Gods, there was some power struggle going on between them."

Will nods, "The balance between Good and Evil. There always needs to a balance or else the cosmic factors in the universe are upset. It's simple physics: every action must have an equal and opposite reaction.

Running my hands through my hair, I shake it out then turn to Willow, "Do you think we can get Faith or Emma to contact Ereshkigal? She might give them some answers." Then I think better of it, "Nah, even if they did, she won't tell them anything. She's just like the damn PtB, talking in riddles."

She thinks for a moment then shakes her head, "Faith once said 'They tell us as much as they can, the tricky part is trying to figure out what they're saying.'"

"Yeah, it would probably break some 'God-pact' to actually tell us something useful that we would also understand, huh?" I laugh to myself, "You think they have a secret handshake?"

Her eyes fly open as she stares at me incredulously, "Hang on, 'Use the tools of your time to break the ancient vow.' The ancient vow is for the Anunnaki to return right?"

"I guess, at least, that's what we've been going with," I narrow my eyes at her, trying to catch whatever feverish notion she's has, "What are you thinking?"

Will looks almost too excited to speak, then she takes a very deep breath. "Ok, let's just say that husband of yours finds a way to knock Nibiru off its elliptical orbit so it doesn't come into our solar system. Wouldn't that be 'using the tools of our time'?"

"Holy crap," I sit down, "Do you really think he can do that?"

She raises her eyebrows at me.

"Yeah, right, if you tell him I said that, I'll make sure he never cooks for you again"

Willow smiles, "Deal."

"He'll find a way I know it. But I think even if he does, Buffy, Faith and the girls will still have to go to Nibiru. I mean, Nicky saw them all there, so it's pretty much a done deal, right?"

She nods, "Yeah, but I think this time we're going to need something beyond magic and Slayer strength this time; science might be just the weapon we need."

"Let me get Andrew," I think Willow's right and I just hope to the Gods he can do this.

**_HIGH ON THE HELLMOUTH_ – DEMON BAR – 11:49 PM**

**KENNEDY'S POV**

We've been here for a couple of hours and Willy is trying his very best to get us loaded. Faith said it was a game they would play in Sunnydale before everything went down with the First. Buffy would have kicked her ass back then if she knew Faith had snuck out every night and was getting tanked with the handful of friendly demons left. She only copped to it a couple of years ago and that's because Willy slipped up one night when we were all here. Surprising us all, Buffy just laughed. She said Willy was like an older brother to Faith, so it didn't shock her.

Willy pours us double shots of Jim Beam and sets down 2 fresh pints of Bass with a wink. We've taken him up on his challenge because we really don't want to go home right now. My girl has the rest of the house discussing astronomy and physics so when Faith and I had enough, we headed for the bar. I'm waiting for Buffy to show any second because I know, doctorate or not, she can't put the 'geek on' like Will, Andrew and Dawn. Even poor Nicky threw her hands in the air saying she couldn't stand it anymore and went to bed early.

As if she read my mind, Buffy comes though the door then sighs when she sees us. Shaking her head, she grabs a barstool and sits next to Faith, "Hey guys."

"Have they managed to fold time and space yet?" I ask with a grin.

Buffy laughs, "Not yet, but they're on it. God, I had to get out of there."

"You think they can really do it, B?" Faith asks as she makes a circle motion with her hand to Willy so he knows to bring the same for Buffy.

She leans on the bar, propping her head up with one hand, "I think so. Andrew even called one of his D&D buddies at NORAD to run some stuff by him. For one day on it, they're impressively close. It's just the minor detail of what is going to happen to us if we don't get back here in time that has me a little worried."

"If anyone can figure it out, those three can Buff," I say as we raise our shot glasses, look at each other, then drink.

Buffy puts her glass down and shakes her head, "Bleh, how you guys drink bourbon is totally beyond me." She flags Willy down, "Hey Willy."

"Slayer," he nods his hello. He's never gotten over the beatings she used to give him back in Sunnydale, but he's polite for Faith's sake.

She turns on her smile, "Can I have another beer and these two lushes probably want another full round?" She looks at us and we nod to her then Willy.

"You got it," he turns and fills her order.

Faith puts her hand on Buffy's to get her attention, "Did Jen come by after patrol?"

"Yeah, she also brought Liz and Claudine, so we're covered on the 'just in case' front." She stops then narrows her eyes at Faith, "Do you really think I'd leave the house if there weren't a couple of Slayers there to protect Nicky?" Oh shit, now she looks half hurt and half pissed off.

Faith bows her head, "I didn't mean it like that B. Come on…"

After giving Faith a semi-evil glare, Buffy turns to me, "I think we should talk to Sophia about coming out."

"WHAT?" Faith and I both answer unbelievably.

Buffy pulls back from our reaction and tilts her head in confusion, "What?" Then her eyes widen, "Oh, oh! NO!" Now she laughs, "Jesus, you guys are too much. I meant coming out here when we go to Nibiru. The last time proved we needed a doctor in the house. We need backup in case Emma gets injured." She chuckles again as she sips her beer.

"Oh, right," I nod, "Yeah, makes a lot of sense. I'll call her on Monday, you know, once Em is back." Smirking, I think, I can't wait to tease Sophia, ha, the cradle robber!

They both nod then Faith drains her beer, "You know, I think the Goddess messed up her stealthy, cryptic-ness."

"How?" I ask.

Faith looks at Buffy then me, "She make it _very _obvious that she approved of Sophia, the whole 'you've chosen well' and 'good match' thing. I think it's her subliminal way of telling Emma she's going to make it out of what ever we have to do."

"Ohhh, tricky, you might have something there." I nod slowly, "Buff, what do you think?"

She takes a deep breath, "I agree; there's been a few of those hints, right Faith?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask as I notice Faith furrow her brow.

A sad smile comes to Buffy's lips, "In Martin's letter, he said Faith was the one who will bring Nicky to adulthood so if you follow that reasoning, Faith and Nicky are going to make it too."

"But what about you?" I question. She doesn't reply, instead she looks at Faith who is now looking down, resting her chin on her chest.

Buffy turns to me, "His letter didn't mention me at all, so I'm thinking this is probably a one way ticket for me, Ken."

Shocked by her words I look to Faith, for an explanation, for sense, for something.

"We talked about this, Buffy, it doesn't _have_ to mean that," Faith says as she puts an arm around her, "It just means it's uncertain." Leaning into Faith's touch, Buffy slips off her stool and nestles into her. "We'll just be real careful, that's all," she says as she slides back, making room for the Blonde to sit on her stood in front of her. Then she pulls Buffy up and wraps her arms around her waist.

How the fuck can they be so calm about this? "I... you... wait a sec..." I can't seem to be able to form sentences at the moment so I take a deep breath. "How long have you known this?"

"Right after Emma read Martin's letter," Buffy's voice is incredibly resigned.

Looking from one to the other, "But, why didn't you tell us? I mean sooner?"

"Because," Buff smiles, "there are more important things to think about than me here."

Shaking my head I ask, "Does Emma know? Did she realize?"

"We don't know," Faith answers resting her chin on Buffy's shoulder, "we've never talked about it with her. She had and has enough going on you know?"

I run my hands through my hair, "Jesus Christ guys."

"Yeah," Buffy sighs out, then calls for Willy, "Hey, can we get 3 more beers?" She pauses then shrugs, "And Willy? Make it 3 more shots too, ok?"

He nods as he gathers the glasses, "Coming right up."


	16. Superheroes

**Chapter 16: SUPERHEROES**

**NEXT DAY –SUNDAY - WILLOW & KENNEDY'S ROOM – 5:24 AM**

WILLOW'S POV

I'm woken out of my sleep by the smell of smoke. Frantically looking around I realize two things: one - it's cigar smoke I smell and two - Kennedy is not here. Relieved the house isn't burning down; I get out of bed and see the door to the widow's walk attached to our room is slightly ajar. Opening it, I find Ken standing by the railing looking down onto the street smoking one of those little cigarillos she likes when she's feeling contemplative.

"Hey," I call to her as rest my hand on her shoulder, "you ok?"

Stubbing the mini stogie out, "Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she turns to me and stumbles a bit.

"Ken?" I grab hold of her. Whoa, she's pretty trashed: unsteady on her feet, eyes bloodshot, you can smell the alcohol coming through her pores.

She manages to place the ashtray on the small table with one hand as she holds onto me with the other. "Sorry babe didn't mean to get so messed up. That Willy is deadly." Then she chuckles to herself.

"Why don't we get you to bed?" I coax her inside.

She shakes her head, "Nah, I stink, gonna take a shower, brush my teeth. I think I can feel things growing on them." She chuckles again.

"Why don't I come with?" Not that I'm feeling especially amorous seeing as my woman is drunk as a skunk. But I don't want her to kill herself in the shower either, so an early shower isn't the worse thing in the world.

She turns to me as she raises an eyebrow, "You're crazy, I'm so nasty, I don't want to take a shower with me."

"Then aren't you lucky I love you?" I ask as I laugh and help her inside.

She pulls me to a stop then turns me to face her. Taking my face in her hands I watch as her eyes cloud up, "I couldn't live without you, Willow."

"Ken, what's wrong?"

She shakes her head, "Nothing, babe," but she sounds so…

"What happened tonight?" I search her eyes.

Shaking her head again, she kisses me softly. Pulling back, she rubs my cheeks with her thumbs then smiles at me, "I love you."

"I love you too, but you're making me crazy right now," I drag her into our bathroom.

The shower turned into a half bath half shower as standing was proving to be difficult. In the end, I positioned the spray to hit our legs and we sort of just leisurely soaped up and relaxed. I know something happened at the bar, but I figure she'll tell me when she's ready.

Once we're in bed, she snuggles up to me and rests her head next to mine. I fully expect her to pass out, but she doesn't. I guess the shower sobered her up a bit.

"You know, when I first came to Sunnydale, I couldn't stand Buffy or how you, Xander and Giles just caved to whatever she said."

I laugh, "No shit? Really?" I wrap my arms around her.

"Yeah, I know I was Joe-obvious," she clucks, "But after watching her fight the Über vamp, man, I knew she was the real deal. Then after Faith got hurt in that explosion, I really had a new appreciation for her, but her sanctimonious attitude still bugged me."

Not exactly knowing where this is going, I ask, "So what changed?"

"Jessie," she says flatly.

Whoa, I really don't know what's going on here, "What about Jessie?"

"Jessie got it, got her, you know? She understood why Buffy acted the way she did. She tried to explain to me once, but I laughed it off and told her she was just love-struck. So I just learned how to deal with her attitude the best I could and even ignored it when it started to bug me. But you know what? I finally realized it tonight: Jessie was right," she rolls onto her back and stares at the ceiling.

Propping my head up on my hand, I decide to say quiet and let her continue.

"In the end, Buffy would sacrifice everything to save someone else, and she'd be ok with the consequences," Ken shakes her head, "I don't know if I could do that, Will. I think I'm too selfish. I mean, I'll do the Slaying, train the new girls, help out with the research," she shakes her head again then turns to me, "but to willingly go into a fight knowing you're probably not coming back…Buffy and Faith, they've done it so many times," she bites her lip as she looks at me, "they really _are_ superheroes."

I smile as I stroke her face with the back of my hand, "Yeah, I know."

**LATER ON IN BUFFY'S & FAITH'S ROOM – 9:24 AM**

FAITH'S POV

You know when you're not asleep, just sort of in the zone, content to just hold your sweetie close until she wakes up? Yup, I'm there, and lovin' every second of it. It's not often I'm up before her, so I'm just lounging in the sensations the closeness of her body stirs in me.

We got in around 4:30. After we deposited Ken safely at her door we peeked into our room to find Nicky sprawled out in the middle of our bed. She was amazingly easy to move over to one side as B and I curled up together on the other. Always an early riser, Nick was up and out of bed before 8:00 – damn, on a Sunday? That oughtta be illegal.

Buffy's revelation last night really threw Ken. I guess that's why she got so twisted. Sometimes it's your frame of mind that contributes to your inebriation as much as it is the amount of alcohol you drink.

It's kinda funny because me and B had the opposite happen: we were so set on _not_ thinking about what she said and all of its implications we never got beyond tipsy. A fact that royally irritated Willy.

And today… well, later on today she goes to Zurich to meet up with Kristen. She's going out to go over the files of all the girls they've had to help along over the years. B made copies of everything so she could bring them to Kristen, you know, just in case. She's been doing a lot of that lately: just in case stuff. This was the second to last on the list. The last is telling the girls.

I'm not sure if Nicky figured it out, but I have a feeling Emma did. There was something in how she looked at B on Friday before she split. Nicky was freaking out and B had her on her lap, cooing to her to try and calm her down. Emma had just found her own 'calling card' from Richard and was way too cool about it. She just watched the two of them with such sadness in her eyes. Then she left.

I asked Ken to keep it to herself until B came back. We want to tell Em and Nicky together, as a family, before it becomes public consumption. Not that everyone here isn't family, it's just… different. We need to tell the girls our thoughts, our plans to beat it and most importantly how much we love them, no matter what happens.

My thoughts are stopped by a wandering hand that has slipped under my tank and is now stroking my breast. I open my eyes to Buffy's hungry ones staring back at me, "Good morning my frisky girl," I chuckle then my breath hitches as she trails her thumb over my hardening nipple.

"I'm always frisky when I wake up to you," she leans over then her mouth is on mine: moving, tasting, devouring. Sliding on top of me, she whispers in my ear, "Especially when I realize our daughter is no longer in bed with us."

Quickly responding to her, I move my hands to her hips find the hem of her tank then slowly start to relieve her of it. "This needs to go," I mumble, my voice raw with need. And, yes, I do need her: desperately, always and forever.

When I get her shirt to her shoulders she lifts up and straddles my waist. Now throwing her tank to the floor, I let my hands dance from her thighs to her shoulders then pull her down for another kiss.

"I know I'm only going to be gone a couple of days but I'm going to miss you baby," then she gives me that sexy little smile that made me fall in love with her all those years ago. She leans over to the side as she peels off my jammies, depositing them on the floor next to her tank. Slipping out of her shorts, she crawls back over me as she once again sits astride my legs, we both gasp at the contact. She kisses down the sides of my face to my shoulders, breasts, stomach… I can feel the goose bumps rise all over my body.

She's right, since I've been back from Sanal; we haven't spent that much time apart. Her trips have either been very short, or Nicky and I came with her. "I'm gonna miss you too," I pull her down to me and attack her lips.

She leans back, smiles again then tilts her head in that patented 'Buffy Summers' way. "Have to give you something to think about while I'm gone," she slides her hips down, then up just enough to spread us open so we're exposed and against each other. My eyes slam shut at the intensity of feeling her so hot and wet touching me.

"Jesus, Buffy," is all I can manage as she leans back, adding further pressure. When she starts to slowly move against me, I force my eyes open to watch her rock us to a whole other place. Her eyes are half closed and she moans as my hands reach her breasts, slowly caressing, squeezing, pulling. She rolls her head back and her hair falls behind her so incredibly perfectly; I just look at her in wonder, "Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?"

She laughs a little, then I trail my fingernails back down her sides to her hips. Grasping them, our breathing becomes bursts, literally fighting for air. Trying to give her more, I pull her into me. She arches, meeting my move with her own, throwing her head back again. Just looking at her right now is all it takes, pushing me over the edge as she urges me on, "That's it, baby, let it go."

Knowing she's right behind me, I do. But as I do, I pull her down into a consuming kiss as I clutch her hips harder into me. I feel her movements speed up then when she shudders; I capture her moan in another kiss.

We lay still for a while, breathless, reveling in the feel of the other. Then she raises her head as her legs slide down over mine, "You know we're made for each other?"

"Yeah, I do... always did," I pull her into my arms and roll us on her back, "That's why I always came back to you," I smile then kiss her softly. Leaning back, I smooth the hair from her face and just look at her.

She narrows her eyes, "What?" Then an understanding shines through her eyes "I will 'not go gentle into that good night'."

"You're lucky I read a lot, so understand when you quote early 20th century Welsh poets." Smiling at her, I laugh, though deep down, I can't help but hope to all the Gods she won't.

Buffy reaches up bringing my face down to hers, "I'm lucky, period, full stop."

**DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 2:48 PM**

ANDREW'S POV

"That's a tall fucking order Andy-boy," Faith shakes her head at me, "ya think you can think of anything _more_ dangerous?"

Sighing, I sit back in my chair and put my feet on my desk as I nod in agreement, "I don't _want_ to ask her to do this Faith." Nicky's vision this morning only solidified the theory Dawn, Willow and I worked out last night: that Emma should jump to Nibiru to plant a device that will help knock the planet out of its orbit _before_ they have their showdown with the Gods. "But it's the only way to get the device there AND actually have time to test it to make sure it works."

She narrows her eyes at me, looking like she's ready to leap over the desk and go for my jugular when Buffy puts a calming hand on her knee, "Nicky saw her there alone, babe, done deal, remember?" Faith turns to her, wanting desperately to further argue the point then finally concedes with a deep breath.

Nodding, I continue, "I'll have the radio frequencies on the probe in tune to about a dozen existing satellites later on tonight, so when you call and tell her - "

"We're not calling her," Buffy is firm as she stands and walks over to the window.

Sliding my feet off my desk, I lean forward, "Do you really think that's wise? I mean I know she's really stressed out and all but we don't have the luxury of time - "

"No, Andrew," now Faith abruptly cuts me off, "It can wait one more day. She'll be back tomorrow, we'll tell her then."

"Why are you guys fighting?" Nicky is standing at the door.

Buffy turns from the window, "We're not fighting, honey, we're just having a 'spirited discussion'"

"It sounded like fighting to me," she says knowingly as she raises an eyebrow.

Walking over to her, Buffy sets a hand on her shoulder, "You have your swim suit on, you want to go to Steve's?"

"Yeah, is it ok?" she looks at Buff hopefully.

Smiling, Buffy nods, "You bet, I'll go with you."

"Cool," Nicky looks up at Buffy, "his cat had kittens."

Buffy narrows her eyes at Nicky, "We're _not_ bringing a kitten home."

"Oh, I know. They're too young, only 1 week. You can't take them away from their mama yet." Nicky disappears out the front door.

Buffy turns to us and sighs, "I need a break guys, we'll just be a couple of hours," she smiles at Faith then follows Nicky out.

"Was it something I said?" I glance around the room as everyone cracks up.

Kennedy recovers first, "Look Andrew, why don't you test the shit out of your spy thingie that way when Emma is back tomorrow you'll be ready to explain it all to her. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right," I look over to Dawn, "Come on Mrs. Q, we have work to do!"

As the others leave, I hear Faith call out, "Ken, Red, can I talk to you guys for a minute?"

**WILLOW'S OFFICE - 3:15 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

"What's up Faith?" I ask as the three of us move to Will's office after Dawn and Andrew went back to work on the probe-tracking device-spy-thing.

Faith flops down on the couch, "I want to talk to you guys about ramping up Nicky's training, both fighting and magic. When everything goes down I want her to be able to hold her own and if necessary be able to jump back here by herself."

"By herself?" I interrupt her, "But Faith that would mean…" then I put it together, what if all the subtle hints aren't what they think. What if they don't make it out of there alive? "Shit."

Faith runs her hands through her hair, "No one knows what's going to happen." She looks over to Willow, "Remember Ebih? Three out of the four of us were big time messed up. If it wasn't for you teaching Emma how to get us back, we wouldn't have."

"Yeah, I actually was thinking about it too," Will nods, "We should probably start tomorrow, or maybe even a little tonight, just to get her to feel her center and reach for the dimensional window."

Looking up at Will, Faith raises her eyebrows, "Do you think she's strong enough? Shit, Red, she's only 11." She bows her head.

"She's strong enough, Faith, I know she is. We just have to teach her how to channel her power, that's all." My girl tilts her head until Faith looks up at her, "Emma did it."

Faith scoffs, "Emma was 15."

"But Nicky's been training since she was born. Emma was... well, not that lucky."

Now Faith gets up from the couch and starts to pace as she spits out, "You call this luck, forcing children into life and death situations?"

"Whoa," I cut in, "Faith, Willow didn't write the prophecy. We're all just trying to help here."

She sighs then sits down, "I know, sorry." Faith looks back up to us, "It's just sometimes she sounds like one of us, you know? Talking magic, visions and prophecies," she shakes her head, "then she wants to go swimming and see the neighbor's kittens." She shakes her head again, "It's easy to forget she's 11, but I know I can't afford to this time." She gets up and closes Will's door.

"Faith?" what is she up to?

Leaning on the arm of the couch she starts, "Look, B and I are going to do everything in our power to make sure Emma and Nicky get back here. I'm sure you know we'll do just about anything to keep them safe."

Will and I nod.

Taking a huge breath, she continues, "We have to be prepared for every scenario, so do they. If Emma and/or I are injured Nicky will need to help us jump or if only Buffy and Nicky are left, or hell, if only Nicky makes it, she's going to need to be able to get back on her own."

A silence descends on us as we all realize how bad things can get and what it would mean for Nicky to come back alone.

"Of course, you're right." Will clenches her jaw, "We need to prepare her for every contingency."

Faith gives her a weak smile, seeing we're on the same page now, "Just for now, until both Buffy and Emma are back, let's stick with the 'helping' if Emma or I are injured. B and I want to talk to the girls about the other possibilities together."

"We understand," I walk over to her and lay a hand on her shoulder, then I get an idea, "Hey, you think any kind of protection spell Will can whip up would work there?"

Glancing at me then Willow, Faith hopefully asks, "Red?"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt..." Will goes to her massive array of books and takes down a couple, "Let me see if I can work something out."

Faith looks at me, then Willow, "Thanks guys," she looks down and I swear to God she has tears in her eyes when she says, "The stakes are so much higher this time." Pushing out a huge breath she lowers her head further, "I'm not worried about saving the fucking world; I know we can do that. I'm worried about getting my family back in one piece." She rubs her face and walks to the door, resting her fingers on the handle, "I'll do anything to make that happen."

We stand there for a minute as we watch her leave then I go to follow her but Will stops me, "Babe," she grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"But Will - "

She holds my arm firm, "Let her go. She needs a minute right now." Wrapping me up in her arms, she leans her head against my back. "She's never had this, Ken, and she's scared to all hell she's going to lose it."

Running my hands over her arms, I nod, "I know; we have to do something to help them." I turn in her arms, "We can't lose them, Will, any of them. They've all given more than enough. For the PtB or the Gods or whoever the fuck is in charge to allow that to happen is just... just, wrong."

"We'll do what we can, babe, but sometimes who we are and what our role is in this life is out of our control." She holds my gaze then rests her head on my shoulder, "I realized that the hard way a long time ago."

I hold her a little tighter knowing she's talking about the chain of events set off by Tara's death. How because of it she amassed her power allowing the Slayer spell to be cast in the first place. And I know killing Rack connected her to Emma and the Goddess. This is different, the four of them off in some other dimension? How any of their deaths could result in a good thing is beyond me.

**DOWNTOWN CHICAGO – GRANT PARK - 11:29 PM**

SOPHIA'S POV

The park is deserted and so quiet you can hear the water trickling from Buckingham Fountain behind us. We've been sitting here for a while, just looking out onto Lake Michigan, not even talking, just content to be close. I'm leaning against a tree and Emma is sitting between my legs, her back flush against my chest. My arms are wrapped around her, thumbs lightly rubbing her stomach. Her hands are trailing back and forth on my legs.

"I don't want to go back," she sighs out softly, breaking through the silence. She leans her head back against my shoulder.

Tightening my arms around her, I nuzzle her ear, "I don't want you to either."

"Going back means spells and fighting… and death," she almost whispers the last.

I can't let her think about this now, she'll be back there soon enough and we'll all have to deal with what's coming. Swooping down, I whisper to her, "Hey, I thought we weren't going to talk about Cleveland or prophecies or anything else that's Slayer related?"

"You're right," she tilts her head as she reaches her arms up behind her to pull me closer to her, "Thank you for this weekend; I've never had a more perfect two days in my life."

Kissing her forehead, I muse, "It feels like longer, no?"

"Yeah," she brings her arms back down to once again draw circles on my legs, "Is this what it's like to have a normal life?"

Sighing, I rest my chin on her shoulder, "As normal as it will ever get for people like us."

"Hmm," she scoffs, "That's a good one, people like us." She lets out a deep breath, "Do you think there will ever be a time when we don't have some ancient prophecy to figure out or a big bad to fight? I mean, I know Buffy and Faith have saved the world a million times already, but that's because it's what they do. They made it their whole lives." Drawing both my arms tighter around her, she continues, "Is it horrible to say: I want more weekends like this with you? That I like being a doctor where I can actually see the people I save? That I want to have a normal life, or at least, as close to one as 'people like us' can have?"

I sit up a little straighter and turn her face to mine, "You want to give up your powers?"

"No, babe," she leans in and kisses me softly, "I don't think I could ever do that. I just don't want to be a superhero."

Leaning back and pulling her with me, I nuzzle her head as I wrap my arms around her again. She settles into me and sighs. Trying to think of a way to get her out of this funk, I go for reverse psychology. With laughter in my voice I begin, "Well, you do have a lot of superhero qualities: you're mythically strong, can cast spells, read minds..."

"You're funny," she starts to laugh a little.

Smiling, knowing I've got her now, I continue, "Seriously, think about it: you have the perfect 'cover job', a cool car, you're smart," I pause to give her a squeeze, "and sexy." We both laugh as I nod, "You're pretty much a shoe-in for the role."

She turns to me, then reaches her hand to the back of my head as she guides my face to hers. I close my eyes as I lean into her slow, lingering kiss. My god, I'm going to miss her so very much. When she pulls back, the humor is gone, replaced now by a seriousness I've never seen in her. She searches my eyes, "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

**

* * *

A/N: In case anyone was wondering, the early 20th Century Welsh poet is Dylan Thomas, from his poem: _Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night_.**


	17. Preparations

**Chapter 17: Preparations**

I've been waiting for a long time

For this moment to come

I'm destined for anything at all

_Green Day, "Waiting"_

* * *

**NEXT DAY – MONDAY - ZURICH – 11:15 AM GMT+1 5:15AM EDT**

BUFFY'S POV

I usually take the train to Kristin's but this morning I plopped my jet-lagged ass into a taxi. "Steinwiesstrasse 28-30, bitte," I tell the driver when he looks at me though the rearview mirror.

"Ja Fräulein," he sets the meter as he pulls away from the curb.

Deciding to exhaust my German, I reply, "Danke," as I lean my head back and close my eyes. A half hour power nap will do me just fine. I hate over night flights; I never _really_ sleep on the plane... does _anyone_ really sleep on the plane?

After 10 minutes, I realize sleep won't come so I think about Kristen and how these 11 years have past so quickly. She's gone from one of the girls in my files to my only help in keeping these girls relatively sane. Hopefully, Willow's reworking of the spell will ease the trauma some of them go through. Dawn said there are a couple of Slayers in school right now working on their Psych degrees, so we'll soon have more hands on deck to spread the workload. It's a few years off, but still something to look forward to. Although it will be hard on Kris if she has to wait it out alone... exhaling loudly, I shake my head and look out the window.

I promised Faith, I wasn't going to think like that. Hell, I think I promised myself not to dwell on the 'what ifs'. We did need to think of every scenario, to prepare for every possibility, including the one where only Nicky makes it back. No matter what Martin said, we needed to have something in place legally for her. For a number of reasons Dawn and Andrew were our choice when we named guardians in the event of our deaths. They accepted the responsibility readily and solemnly; both knowing its importance, neither wanting to see the request come to fruition.

"Your journey is over now, Fräulein," the taxi driver is staring at me through the rearview mirror.

Looking up, I meet his eyes and take in his smooth Aryan features: piercing blue eyes, blonde hair, high cheek bones. Although probably in his mid-sixties, he is still quite a handsome man. There is something vaguely familiar about him. "Do I know you?"

"We have not met," he shakes his head, "But I have watched for you with the PtB."

My eyes fly open as I look around: we're parked in front of Kristen's home/office; the engine is turned off; and both of his hands are on the steering wheel. Obviously, he's trying to be a non-threatening as possible. I regard him slowly as he smiles.

"I mean you no harm; I only want to thank you for all you've done." He looks down to his lap, "My Irene was a potential and went to Sunnydale to find you. She was so inspired by you and your spirit." He catches my gaze again through the mirror, "When she phoned me the morning before you defeated the First, she was so excited to fight by your side. We were so proud of her."

Leaning closer to him, I remember her and that she never made it out of the school. I gently lay my hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect her."

"Ah but everyone dies; there is no stopping death. We can only hope to help as many as we can along the way." He takes a hand from the steering wheel and rests it on top of mine, "I'm honored to have met you Dr. Summers. The PtB allowed me this privilege as thanks for my service to them through the years." He pats my hand then turns away, letting me know our conversation is over.

As I get out of the taxi I turn to him and softly say, "Thank you."

"May the Gods bless you and keep you safe, Herr Doktor," he chokes down his rising emotions then drives away.

Slinging my duffle bag over my shoulder, I stand a little taller as I wonder how many lives we touch, have touched, will touch and never realize it. I've always known what we do is important, hello; we saved the world a lot. But speaking with him just now, he gave me just the lift I needed. I laugh, damn PtB, they get me every time. After I watch his taxi disappear down the street, I turn and walk up the steps to Kristen's.

**SOPHIA'S APARTMENT – 9:24 AM**

EMMA'S POV

The first thing I realize as I slip into consciousness is Sophia's hand fanned out on the small of my back, slowly gliding back and forth, her fingertips just barely touching my skin. The second thing I realize is I'm laying face down, half on top of her, one arm resting on her shoulder, the other wrapped under her pillow. Nuzzling into her neck I murmur, "Mmmm, I like waking up like this."

"Yeah?" Her other hand joins the first slipping under the back of my shirt and wrapping around me, "me too."

Raising my face to hers, we share a short 'good morning' kiss. It's not short because we necessarily want it to be, but if we're going to take this slow, short is all either of us can handle. Especially now, lying so close, feeling those tingles run through me... I pull away and snuggle back into her neck, "Can we just stay like this until I have to go?"

"Fine by me," I feel her smile as she pulls me closer.

My hand traces her collarbone and I marvel again at how soft her skin is. She sighs contentedly then closes her eyes as I slide my fingers into her hair. Watching her, I realize, I want her; I want this... us... a lot... so much more than I've ever wanted anything. I really don't know how I'm going to be able to deal without her when I'm back home, surround by all this prophecy shit. Her constant company and continuous touch completely soothes me, makes everything so much easier to handle. It's like I finally understand them so much better now: Buffy & Faith, Will & Ken, Dawn & Andrew; the importance of having a partner to help you through when you think you can't make it alone. I just hope to the gods she wants this too.

Leaning back a bit, I take a deep breath and look up at her, "Will you come to Cleveland when it's time?"

"Of course I will, nothing could keep me away," she hugs me tightly then returns her hands to the small of my back to work their magic, "It's going to be soon, no?"

Nodding against her shoulder I whisper, "Yeah," as I lean further into her, "Faith completely blocked me out last night so I know something went down. They don't want to bother us; I could feel it when I spoke to them on Saturday."

"They love you very much, Em," she brushes her lips against my forehead, "They've felt you were their daughter from the second Faith taught you how to cloak other people's thoughts and the three of you got all caught up in each other's minds." She laughs, "Hell, probably even before that."

Propping my head up on my hand I narrow my eyes at her, "How do you even _know_ about that?"

"Do you forget Dawn's been my best friend since we were 16 years old?" Sophia looks at me and smiles, "I knew everything about you months before we met." Her hand stops its movement on my back as she stares up at the ceiling, "Oh my God..."

"What?" I take in her ashen face.

"You were 5 when we were in Sunnydale..."

Leaning over her, I turn her face to mine, "Does it matter?" She blinks then takes a breath to answer but I lean down and kiss her softly. Once I feel her respond I pull back and watch as she opens her eyes. Resting my head on my hand again, I search her eyes, "I mean does it _really_ matter?"

Her eyes hold mine for a moment; I realize I'm not breathing... then she smiles and that hand picks its motion back up again, "I guess it really doesn't matter. But I'm warning you, there will be teasing."

Relieved by her answer, I rub my hand over her stomach and smile back, "So what else did Dawn tell you?"

"Pretty much everything, at first she was concerned about the meds you were on and wanted to be sure taking you off 'cold turkey' was going to be ok. I told her I had already spoken to Buffy about how to do it in stages." She looks at me then smiles, "Then as time went on, she'd tell me little things that you'd do, or say, I don't know, like I said, I felt like I knew you before I met you." She stares back up at the ceiling for a moment, remembering, "She was mostly just glad you and Faith made Buffy so happy. It had been a long time since Buffy had anyone in her life. Then you and Faith showed up on the same day... it was like it was meant to be, you know?"

Nodding, I lean my head back on her shoulder, "I think it just might have been."

"You know, you're probably right." She takes me in her arms and kisses my forehead.

We each lose ourselves in our own thoughts for a moment until I laugh, "I was so intimidated by you that day. When you came into triage and asked if I tried to heal Willow, damn, I couldn't even speak you had me so scared. Then when it was just us, Andrew and Dawn in their office giving them the rundown of what happened. Yeah, you looked like you had me under a microscope."

"You had just fought with a handful of ancient Gods and you were intimidated by me?" She laughs heartily, "And you omitted most of what happened that day." She shakes her head, "Dawn was so pissed off at you when she found out what you and Faith did and how you guys didn't tell anyone for weeks."

I smile as I nod, "Yeah, I know, everyone was, but Faith wasn't ready to talk to Buffy about it."

"Did you ever think that maybe you might have needed to talk about it?" She trails a hand down my face, taking in my confusion she shakes her head at me, "Babe, you were only 15, it was a lot to handle."

Finally understanding, I bite my lip, "I was ok." She raises an eyebrow. "Ok, so I knew it was going to be years off, and I didn't want to think about it for a while." Furrowing my brow, I can't help but let a huge grin spread on my face, "You were worried about me?"

"Hell yeah, we all were. Why do you think I made you my triage assistant and asked you to help me with Willow while she was recovering? I saw how you healed her; I knew I had a budding doctor on my hands." She smiles then traces my lips with her finger, "I also wanted to give you someone else to talk to since the others had their own things to work out. You needed a friend, Em."

Burying my face in her neck, I groan, "God what did I do to deserve you?" I trail light kisses up her throat to her ear, stopping only when I feel her breath hitch, "You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," she muses as she pulls me closer.

**DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 3:52 PM**

WILLOW'S POV

We watch as Dawn flicks on the speakerphone then dials. Picking up on the second ring, we hear, "Hey Dawn."

"Hey cradle robber, how's it going?" Ken makes out before she busts out laughing.

Sophia laughs with her, "And so it begins…"

"Come on, you didn't think you were going to get off without some good natured ribbing, did you?" Andrew joins in, "Oh wait, 'get off' ha ha that was a good one." He and Ken are having hysterics as they give each other high fives.

She laughs again, I swear I can see her rolling her eyes, "I guess not. So Dawn, Willow you two part of this prank call too?"

"NO," Dawn shakes her head and laughs, "These fools just can't help themselves."

"I'm with Dawn, we actually called for a reason," I add. "But first, how's Em?"

We hear her exhale then pause a beat. Dawn and I exchange a pensive glace. "She's ok, better than when she got here on Friday night, that's for sure." She pauses again, "She knows something went on over there over the weekend, she said Faith's been blocking her. So whatever you guys have been scheming, she knows something's up, so it's not going to blind side her." Sighing, she continues, "She should be home around 5:30; her flight gets in a little after 5:00."

"Well, you just answered question number two," I look around then take a breath, "Sophia, the reason we're calling is because we're going to need you here when they go to Nibiru, so can you - "

"Will, stop," she cuts me off, "Em and I talked about it this morning. She's going to call me as soon as she knows when it's time. Tomorrow when I go in I'll start clearing my plate."

Shaking my head I muse, "Well, since you have all that down, you have time to hear what we came up with on Richard this morning?"

"Hell yeah!" She says, it sounds like not only Faith wants a piece of him.

Andrew sits back behind his desks and punches up the account on his screen. Leaning back he begins, "Well, first of all, him and Eva, the Wicca from his town, hooked up with a branch of the Druid order in Glastonbury and - "

"Get out," Faith interrupts as she walks in with Nicky, "like _Mists of Avalon _Glastonbury?"

He narrows his eyes at her, hating to be interrupted, then winks, "Exactly like _Mists of Avalon _Glastonbury." He smiles widely as he continues, "During Arthur's time in the 11th Century, there was a struggle between the Pagans and the Christians, but they co-existed. By the time the 15th century rolled around, the Druids were mostly being persecuted and summarily killed along with other pagans as Christianity had quickly grown from a religion into a literal 'witch hunt' where the power and influence of the Church ruled more so than Kings and Queens of nations. Although it was called the 'Renaissance' some aspects were strictly barbaric."

"Wow!" Nicky is enthralled, "That really happened?"

Faith sits down next to me, "Yeah, Nick, it really happened. With all the evil we fight, we're sometimes our own worst enemies."

Looking at Faith, I see how resigned she is right now. It amazes me sometimes that she's the same force of nature that blew through Sunnydale like a tornado. I smile as I see her hug Nicky when the little one crawls up on her lap, completely fascinated by Andrew's tales of English history.

As if feeling my gaze on her, Faith turns to me and furrows her brow as she cocks her head to the side as if to say "what's up." Shaking my head, I smile at her again and see all she's become: friend, wife, parent, teacher, protector. Then I look up at Andrew and hope I haven't missed too much.

"So from Ian's last diary that Vi sent over yesterday, we learned of how Eva took Richard to Glastonbury to a secret sect of the Druids who still practiced on the shores of the Isle of Avalon, the fabled gateway to Underworld. The Druids were at first skeptical of Richard and how he claimed to be an immortal creature. He proved his true nature by snatching a youngster of the clan and draining him in front of the elders. Needless to say that got their attention. So when Cathbad, the chief druid in the court of Conchobar mac Nessa in the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology - "

Dawn slams her hand down on her desk making everyone jump, "ANDREW! Hello, a point soon, or anything resembling one would be nice."

"Sorry babe," he laughs at himself, "you know how I get."

She rolls her eyes, "Yeah, that's why I had to stop the madness."

"Ok," he continues, "to make a VERY long story short, the Druids watched as the Church destroyed their faith, their followers and their land. They had heard the Anunnaki created a race of nightwalkers to aid them on Earth. So they sent Richard and Eva to the Gods, the diary doesn't say how, but we presume it was a dimensional jump."

"Question?" it was Sophia.

"Yes?" Andrew is having far too much fun.

She sighs, collecting her thoughts, "Why would the Druids help the Anunnaki destroy the planet. They would die too, no?"

"You would have to understand the nature of the Druids, their instruction was secret, and was carried on in caves and forests. Certain groves within forests were sacred, and the Romans and Christians alike cut them down and burned the wood. They felt there would be no forest left soon, so the Earth would perish regardless. Helping the Anunnaki was purely a form of revenge against the Christians."

"Got it, makes sense actually," Sophia muses.

Nicky sits up straighter, "Hi Sophia!"

"Hi Nicky," Sophia softens her voice as she answers, "How are you?"

Grinning now, "Good, is Emma there?"

"No," she laughs, "she's on her way back, she'll be home soon."

Nodding, Nicky gushes, "Ok, cool, I'm making her dinner."

"She'll like that a lot sweetie," Sophia says it in such a way that Nicky knows not to continue, "Sorry Andrew, go ahead."

Andrew looks around for more questions. Seeing none, he continues, "So when they returned, Richard visited his pastor friend and relayed this story as well as how he would lead an army to "bring darkness to the light."

"Fuck, it's about Emma," Faith shakes her head.

Andrew nods, "That's what we were thinking, it goes back to what Ereshkigal said years ago, 'the girl who could someday bring a great light to a great darkness.'"

"I think this is getting a little over my head. Is it ok if I start chopping the veggies for dinner?" Nicky slides of Faith lap.

Andrew smiles at his protégé, "Of course baby, you get started; I'll be in to help in a bit."

Nicky whips around to Faith, "Why is it that everyone else gets yelled at when they curse, but when you do it, it's ok?"

"It's not ok," I narrow my eyes at Faith who is now hanging her head.

Andrew pipes up, "But Faith can kick our butts so we don't yell at her."

"That doesn't seem very fair," Nicky looks around at everyone then turns to Faith again, "Everyone should follow the same rules.

Faith nods, "Yeah, everyone should, but one of life's lessons is that everyone doesn't."

We all watch Nicky leave then I turn to Andrew, "You're telling us this has been in the works for over 5 centuries?"

"Probably longer," he shakes his head, "Ereshkigal said everything that has and will happen to Emma has been foretold. Even though this prophecy is about all of you, it seems like it's all going back to Em. That's why Richard's interest in her goes beyond anyone else."

Faith is staring out the window as Dawn and Andrew both have their heads bowed. I take a breath, "Well, if she was destined to do this, she will. It's up to us to prepare her as best we can. Andrew, make sure that creation of yours works." He nods at me.

"I'll tell her about it tonight after dinner," Faith's voice is resigned.

Looking over to Andrew and Dawn, I get up, "I'm going to work out a couple of spells I was researching, touch base later, ok?" I lean over the phone, "Talk to you tomorrow Sophia."

"Sure thing, later guys," man Sophia sounds pretty deflated too.

Faith looks up, "Hey, Sophia?"

"Yeah Faith?" she answers.

The dark Slayer sighs then asks hopefully, "Did you guys have a good weekend?"

"Yeah," she breathes out "we really did."

Faith nods, as a sad smile comes to her lips, "Good."

**KITCHEN – 5:35 PM**

NICKY'S POV

Ok, the skirt steaks and Portobello mushrooms are marinating, the biggest salad ever created is washed, chopped and in the huge salad bowl; what am I forgetting? Right, idiot, desert! Going to the fridge, I take out a watermelon, cantaloupe and honey dew. Grabbing a fresh cutting board I start to cut up the fruit salad. Andy and I worked out the menu yesterday then he took me shopping this morning. I want to make a special dinner for Emma AND I want to do it all by myself.

I'm almost finished when Dawn and Andy come in still talking about those Druids, "All we know about them is really from Roman texts and some older church writings, both suspect to interpretation by the way," Andy scoffs, "They only kept oral records," he shakes his head, "what a loss."

"Wow!" Dawn looks around the kitchen, "Everything's done."

Smiling, I nod, "Yup, just finishing up," so yeah, I'm proud of myself. I'm about to tell them they have to do the whole wine picking thing when I feel Em come in the front door. Dropping the knife on the cutting board, I call over my shoulder as I race from the room, "Andy, finish for me please?"

Tearing out of the kitchen and down the hallway, I jump into Emma's arms before she even has a chance to put her backpack down. "I missed you so much," I smile as she hugs me back just as hard.

"I missed you too kiddo," she puts me down. "Come on, let me put this upstairs then you can tell me what's been happening this weekend."

Walking behind her as she climbs the stairs, I think about everything that's been going on, "Well," I start when we get into her room, "First of all Buffy is in Zurich with Kristen until Wednesday, we learned a lot more about Richard and some people called Druids and Andy made some really cool jimmy-jammy thing that they want you to take to Nibiru before we all go." Knowing I'm forgetting something I scratch my head then it comes to me, "Oh, and Ken called Sophia a cradle robber." I laugh, that was really funny. "They didn't know Faith and I heard them while we were playing on Buffy's computer." Taking a huge breath, I watch as Emma hangs her head.

"So, a lot's going on," she sighs, "I had a feeling."

Walking over to her, I take her hand, "Hey, don't be sad. You looked so happy when you came home." I tug on her hand until she looks at me. I know how to put a smile on her face, "Tell me what happened with Sophia. Is she your girlfriend now? I mean 'cause you stayed there all weekend so you two must be _pretty_ serious, right?" I look at her expectantly as I take her back pack and put it in the corner.

"Come here," she says as she sits on her bed. Curious, I walk over. Once in front of her she scoops me up into a gigantic hug. "You're too much, you know that?"

Leaning back, I look at her confused, "Why?"

"Why?" she ruffles my hair. "'cause you just are."

I narrow my eyes at her, "That's not a real answer."

"I know," getting up she puts a hand on my shoulder, "Let's go play some foosball."

**BACK DECK – 10:27 PM**

FAITH'S POV

"Dinner was great," Em laughs, "I can't believe Nicky did it all herself."

Nodding, "Yeah, she was psyched to make you a special coming home meal." Dinner was great; Nicky was so excited Em was back. She totally crashed about a half hour ago, right on Em's lap in the living room. Once Em came downstairs from putting her to bed, we came out here to talk about Nibiru and everything we learned over the weekend.

"It's all going to happen real fast after tomorrow," she sips some of Richard's Brandy.

Taking my own sip, I nod, "Yeah, I know. Buffy and I want to talk to you and Nicky Wednesday night when she gets back."

"About not coming back, right?" she looks up at me.

Silently I nod again, "We just want to go over a couple of things. You know, just in case."

"Right, just in case," she knocks back the rest of her glass.

Lifting the bottle, I raise my eyebrows to her. She nods and I refill our glasses. "So," I start, "how'd your weekend go?"

"Really good," she swirls her glass and takes another sip, "I actually felt like a normal person for a little while." She puts her feet up on the railing then leans back in her chair, "I'm scared Faith."

Turning to her, I sigh "Everything in general or something in particular?"

"Of how much I need her," she leans her head back and stares up into the night, "I've never felt so completely at ease as I do when we're together."

I can't help but smile, "She feels the same?"

"I don't know, I think so," she closes her eyes now and almost whispers, "I hope so."

Yeah, right, I know so. Our talk is interrupted when my cell rings, it's Buffy. I flip open the phone, "Hey babe, it's wicked early by you, no?"

"It's the 5:00am I miss you desperately call." God, the sound of her voice goes right though me. It's only been a day, shit, not even 24 hours. But damn, I miss her. She purrs into the phone, "Whatcha up to?"

Mirroring Emma's move, I rest my feet on the railing as well. "Emma and I are hanging in the back, drinking Richard's brandy, bullshitting."

"Sounds like fun," she laughs "How is she? How'd the weekend go?"

Looking over at Em, I see her eyes are still closed, "Good and good, I think our girl's finally fallen in love," I grin as Emma whips her head around to me.

"Faith..." she sounds a tad exasperated.

Laughing a bit, I hand Emma the phone, "Here, talk to B."

"Hey Buffy, how's Kristen?" she sips her glass as she listens. "Yeah, she'll be here." pause "I guess we'll probably know when after I get back tomorrow." pause "Yeah, I know, ok I will. I will, really, I promise." Buffy must be giving her the business about something, I wonder what. "I'll see you on Wednesday night; let me give you back to Faith." She looks at me then away as she nods, "Ok, I love you too, bye."

Taking back the phone I tell B to hang on for a second then watch Emma as she gets up, "You ok?" I ask.

"Yeah, just going up, work then dimensions to jump tomorrow," she nods to the phone as she smiles, "go talk to your girl."

I nod then put the phone back to my ear as I watch her go inside, "What were you giving her a hard time for babe?"

"I just told her to be careful. Planting secret devices that will blow the planet of the Gods out of its orbit is not exactly like going to Starbucks for mochas. This is so fucking dangerous, I wish there was another way."

Taking a deep breath, I sigh, "You know if there was, we'd do it."

"I know, I just wish I was there," the sadness in her voice brings my own to the surface.

Nodding, I agree, "So do I Buffy, so do I."

**SOPHIA'S APARTMENT – 11:44 PM**

SOPHIA'S POV

Emma called a few minutes ago and I still can't believe they are sending her to Nibiru. This is so incredibly dangerous. "What did Buffy say?" I ask her.

"She told me to be careful and if I get caught to find Ereshkigal."

Hmmm, that's a really good idea, the Goddess would protect her, "That's really good thinking," I nod approvingly.

"You don't cheat death on multiple occasions and call it luck you know," she laughs.

Knowing this might be the last time I speak to her, my voice falters, "Please be careful, Em, this prophesy, destiny, stuff surrounding you is really beginning to freak me out."

"No worries, I'm a pro at this, ok?" she sounds like she's trying to convince both of us.

Licking my lips, I decide to spit out what has been raging in my mind all day, "Em, I know you said I should think about what you said and, well, I really have," I take a huge breath, "I kinda knew when you were here and I know I should have said something then, especially after the weekend we had, but I - "

"Shhhh," she cuts me off, "we'll talk when I get back."

Not wanting to be deterred, I try to continue, "But I want to tell you - "

"Tell me when I get back," she counters firmly, then her tone softens, "or even better, when I see you again."

Not really understanding, "But Em - "

"Soph," she sighs, "I can't explain it, but either way, I really can't hear it right now when I have to do this thing tomorrow."

Taking in the weariness of her voice, "Ok," I relent, "I'll tell you when I see you."

"That's my girl," she says a bit relieved.

Smiling, as I realize what she just said I think to myself: 'yes, exactly'.


	18. Nibiru

**Chapter 18: Nibiru**

I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well

I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel like I am strong enough

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right when you're gone away

_Seether, "Broken"_

* * *

**NEXT DAY – TUESDAY - ZURICH – 6: 53 PM GMT+1 12:53PM EDT**

BUFFY'S POV

We finally are wrapping up for a dinner break. You know, I can't believe it, but Mrs. Pinnington has really been a huge help the past couple of days. She took all my files and cross-referenced them with Kristen's. Then she stayed with us all day and night since yesterday morning to take detailed notes.

Right now, Marc, Kristen's husband, is with Mrs. P – yeah, she hates it when I call her that – checking on dinner. It's funny how the men in a Slayer's life are always in the kitchen, I wonder what _that_ means? I chuckle then smile as I think of Andrew and what a kick he's getting out of teaching Nicky how to cook. That quickly brings me back to Cleveland and how much I miss my family, how much I miss Faith.

Why is it so different? The separation is harder to bear for some reason. Maybe it's because I can't shake the feeling that this is it this time? I mean really it? Shaking my head, I can't stand it anymore, so I call her again. Come on, it's been more than 12 hours, right? I tell myself as I dial.

"Hey, B."

Her voice just pours over me and I sigh. God I love her. "Hey, F. What's going on?"

"That's spooky," Faith laughs.

Finding her laughter contagious, I join her, "What?"

"Well, you caught me sitting at your desk in your office," she laughs again.

Deciding I should tease her a little for fun, "Were you snooping?"

"Nope, just being a big dork and sitting at your desk, feeling your presence, looking at the picture of the four of us." She stops, then almost whispers, "I miss you B."

God, how she does that every time, just cuts right through to the heart of me, "I miss you too, baby." I laugh a little, "At least it's not just me being all sappy."

"No babe, I'm right there with ya," she murmurs.

Taking out my filo-fax, I trace her face in that same photo of the four of us at Emma's graduation from Medical school as I allow a couple of tears to fall. Taking a breath, I wipe them away and quickly change the subject. "Are you guys all ready for Emma's jump?"

"Yeah," she knows what I'm doing, but plays along, "Red's doing some kind of spell for Em, so if she gets injured she'll come back here."

Thank god for Willow, "How would that even work?"

"Well, Red said that if her blood is spilled the spell will make her jump back to triage. I didn't ask how, but if it works, at least she won't die there."

Sighing, I softly say, "Yay, reasons to be cheerful."

"She'll be fine, B, we all will," she coaxes.

Forcing myself to believe it, I answer, "Yes, we will." Needing to hang up, I sigh again, "Tell Em I love her, ok? Call me when she gets back, no matter what time it is ok?"

"Ok, I will," she pauses, "I love you," she tells me softly.

Letting her words wash over me, "I love you too, talk to you later." Not knowing if the loneliness I feel is better now or worse since we spoke, I try to shake it off and make my way to the dining room.

**KENNEDY'S OFFICE – 5: 23 PM**

FAITH'S POV

Em walks into Ken's office slinging her backpack off her shoulder, "Hey."

"Hey," Ken and I answer in unison.

Emma smiles at that, "Ok, so day job is over, check," she makes a strike off motion with her free hand, "I'll be ready for my night job after I drop this upstairs and get a little something to eat."

"Go ahead, Nicky's been preparing a whole cheese and salami platter for you since lunch," Ken laughs, "She wouldn't let us touch it, saying it was your snack for when you got home."

Her smile slowly turns into my smirk, "And we thought we had our hands full with Andrew being the original Kitchen Gestapo." Em shakes her head.

I grab the papers I was going through and place them on Ken's desk, "I'll tell her you're here. She wants to make a production out of it, so when you come down, come to the dining room."

Em nods, "I hope this special treatment doesn't end when she becomes a teenager - that would really suck."

"What, you'd become one of us mere mortals?" Ken calls out after her.

It's about 6:30 by the time Em finishes picking on Emma's 'creation' and we all relax a little. Andrew comes in with his device just as Nicky is clearing the table.

"It looks like a rock," I observe as I take the oval device and turn it around in my hands.

He snatches it back from me, "It is desert sandstone," he informs me condescendingly, "you know, so it won't be out of place."

"Sorry," I smirk at him, "totally my bad."

Moving over to Em, he hands it to her, "Here, Em."

She takes it gingerly then looks up at him.

"Ok, once you're there, you just squeeze it, then turn it on, close it then throw it out of the way somewhere." Her looks at her, "Go on, give it a try."

Squeezing the rock, a hidden hinge allows it to flip open, "Cool," Em nods as she looks at the buttons inside, "Ok, way too many buttons," she lifts her head at Andrew.

"You only have to press the red one to activate it," he says soothingly. "I used the others to program to talk to the satellites."

She nods at him, "Ok," then she looks around the room, "Let's get this show on the road already."

**TRIAGE ROOM – 7: 10 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

I put a hand on Faith's shoulder after Emma disappears, "Come on, it's gonna be a while."

"Yeah," she turns to me, "you got any of those smokes of yours?"

I narrow my eyes at her, "No way, Buffy will kick my ass."

"I promise I won't inhale," she raises her eyebrows at me, "Come on, Ken, do I ever ask for much?"

Taking pity on her, I sigh, "Alright, but let's take a walk to Willy's, I don't want anyone to rat me out."

"Cool, let me just let Nicky know I'm going out," She bounds up the stairs, running into Andrew on the way. He tells her to be back for dinner at 8:00. Man, Emma was right, he is the Kitchen Gestapo.

**DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND – RICAHARD'S APARTMENT – 7: 15 PM**

RICHARD'S POV

Lounging in bed, I wonder when the Gods will call us. It will be soon, I can feel it. The pictures did their job well. The little one shrieked like the child she is, doubting her strength. Faith lay in wait for me, as if I would make it that easy for her. And Emma fled to Chicago, to another Slayer... interesting she's following in her adoptive parent's footsteps. Another lesbian Slayer is added to the bunch, how trite. But how can I use that to my advantage before the end of days is upon us? I'll have to find a way.

"Richard!" Camille yells from the other room.

Jumping up, I run to my current Wicca companion. Taking in the frightened look on her face I ask, "What's happened?"

"She's gone," she looks at me seeing my confusion, "The Catalyst, the Light... she's left this dimension. I can't feel her at all."

The bitches, they're up to something. "Not to worry, Camille, we'll find out where she is. Let's take a short trip to get some answers, shall we? It will be nightfall in a few hours and I know just the place."

**HIGH ON THE HELLMOUTH DEMON BAR – 7: 30 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

Willy set down our beers and shots then moved back down the bar as a bunch of rowdy Anomovic Demons come into the bar shouting about a 'Bachelor Party Discount'. Knowing Faith has something to say, I speak first, "What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" she furrows her brow.

I take a sip of my beer then turn to her, "You've been really out of it today."

"I don't know, I guess I'm just really missing Buffy, that's all. It's like I'm feeling everything I have to lose. And what's weird is that it feels more real this time, that something bad is gonna happen, can't explain it any better than that."

Nodding, I don't really know how to answer that. We down our shots then something occurs to me, "You mean in a Slayer premonition type way or a regular bad feeling type way?"

"Just the regular bad feeling type way," she smiles, "That's kinda funny, huh?"

I'm about to reply that it's not, when a huge hand clamps down on my back, jarring my arm and sending my beer flying.

"Hey Guys!" it's Clem, "What's going on? Oh, I'm sorry Ken."

Recovering my prone pint glass I look to Willy, who is already pouring me another, "Hey Clem, looks like you owe me a beer."

"You got it, let me buy you both one. Come on, all the times I ate at your place, I must owe you a million beers." He looks at us, "Ok?"

Faith laughs, "We have to be home at 8:00, so we'll just collect on one tonight, ok?"

"Oh, ok," Clem reaches into his pocket and take out a very nice pocket watch, "Yeah, it's 7:40; you'll only have time for the one." He puts it back in his pocket.

I pull at his arm, "Hey, that's really cool, where'd you get it? Let me see?"

"Yeah," he grins, "but promise you won't tell Nicky?"

Nodding I make the international/interdimensional 'gimme' sign with my hand until he unclips it from his belt loop and hands it over. "Nice," I whistle as I take in the carvings all over the silver watch. Opening it, there are jewels imbedded above each number. You just don't see pocket watches anymore. Looking up at him, I nod, "So, spill it."

"I won it playing poker when a snotty English vampire ran out of kittens," he whispers as if Nicky could possibly overhear him. "He was so angry, but I won it fair and square."

Faith looks at me then holds out her hand, "Let me see it, Ken."

Taking in the masked expression on her face, I give her the watch, "Here."

"Really? You won't tell Nicky? She was very angry with me the last time she found out ..." he stops short when Faith throws her head back, you can see the electricity flow over her hand. "Holy shit!" He shrinks from her.

Faith slams the watch on the bar, then gasping looks at Clem, "When did you win this?"

"I... I..." he stammers.

Faith grabs him by the throat, "Speak!"

"A – About 2-3 months ago... right here... we were all playing in the back room." He's scared to death.

Putting my hand over Faith's, I remove it from his neck, "What's going on Faith?"

"It's Richard's," her breath becomes more even, "and it's spelled to observe and relay all thoughts in the room it occupies," she shakes her head, "That's how he knew such minor details about us." She sighs, "I broke the spell."

Picking up the watch, I hand it back to Clem, "You might want to bring this by Willow tomorrow so she can do some kind of anti-spell-cleansing thing"

"I don't understand," he looks from me to Faith, "who is Richard?"

She shakes her head then glares at him, "He's the fucking vamp that bit Emma," she sighs, "Your little time piece got him a ton of inside information on her and on us, Clem."

"I'm so sorry," Clem looks like he's gonna cry, "I had no idea." Now he does start crying.

Punching Faith's arm, I motion over to Clem, "Come on Faith, he couldn't have known." Looking at her imploringly, "How could he have known? He's always with Nicky not us. He's just a big kid himself."

Faith gets up and sighs, "I know," she puts her hand on his back, "it's not your fault, Clem. I should have expected something like this. Come by in the morning like Ken said and I'll ask Red to de-hex your watch, ok?"

"Ok," he sniffles.

She looks at me, "Come on, we better get home before Andrew has a canary."

**NIBIRU – TIME DOES NOT EXIST HERE**

EMMA'S POV

Stumbling to my feet, I gasp and choke on the dry air. As I look around, I let my senses 'feel out' for another presence, but I'm alone. Looking down, I tug the stone out of my pocket and squeeze it. Just like at home, it flips open, revealing a tiny panel of buttons. Freaking Andrew, how the hell does he do it? Pushing the red button, I close the lid then toss the rock into a pile of others. I'll be damned; I couldn't pick it out if I tried.

I know they said to come right back, but I decide to do a little recon. Hey, you never know when it might come in handy.

When I reached the dimensional window, I stood at the edge and felt for that part of me that was borne of the Goddess. Separating myself from the tether of my world, I reached for the essence of Ereshkigal with all my power. I don't know how long it took me to get here, but I feel that I've traveled far.

Looking around me, I realize the dusty plains are actually soothing in a way. Slowly, I make my way to the gathering place and the three sided pyramid. Now circling the monolith, I try to remember as many figures as possible. I silently curse myself for not bringing a camera.

"I doubt it would work here, my child," the Goddess' voice stops me in my tracks.

Turning to her slowly, I bow my head to her, "Goddess."

"There's no need to be so formal, Emma. My blood does flow in your veins after all," then she smiles and opens her arms to me.

Stepping closer to her, I allow myself to be engulfed in her embrace.

"Come, sit, I have much to tell you. Time passes much slower here, you have already been gone an hour in your world."

Allowing her to take my hand and lead me to the benches, I ask, "Will you tell me how to fight this? How we can save my world?"

"You and your Earth family know so much of it already, and will know more before their night is over." She takes my hand, "I need to tell you about your counterpart, you know him as Richard."

Immediately stiffening, "How can he be my counterpart? He's like 500 years older than me, that's an incredible advantage. And he doesn't have a soul. I guess that would come in handy when you're fighting to the death, huh?"

"And you are the grandchild of a Goddess," she tells me softly before continuing. "The Miller's son is the Earth bound Champion of Ellil. As God of the Earth he created the vampires to walk it for all eternity. Ellil chose the Miller's son, Richard, to be his Champion when the former one lost his mind." Taking in my confused look she continues, "Vampires often lose their sanity when they have been undead for more than a couple of centuries. Richard is truly unique."

Narrowing my eyes as I remember what he did, "Yes, unique is one word to describe him."

"Emma, hear me well, he uses his power to exploit your weaknesses. There is no shame in that you have weaknesses; it is only in allowing others to abuse them by accepting their guilt as your own, it's then your weakness is truly realized." She raises her hand from mine to graze against his bite, "He will harm others close to you. You mustn't allow your anger to cloud your judgment before your task is accomplished. There are larger issues to be dealt with first, then you can have your revenge."

Letting what she told me sink in, I look at her "Will you tell me what the pyramid says?"

"Yes," she leans close to me and cups my face in her hands. Her thumbs brush my eyes closed, then as the wind blows through my hair, the knowledge of what was carved on that stone over 3 millennia ago becomes known to me.

Opening my eyes I know we have a chance, and that's all I ever wanted, "Thank you Goddess…" then I smile, "Grandmother."

"You must leave soon," she smiles sadly back at me, "but know this: Your blood is of both worlds that is why you were chosen to decide the fate of both. It is written, Emma, it is carved in stone for all eternity."

Knowing I don't have much time left, "Then why do the others have to come too? Why do they need to be in danger?"

"The last sole Chosen will lead the Three to Nibiru's plains," she nods, "It is written as well." Once again she grasps my hands, "Everything that has and will happen is for a reason. Find the reason, and you will find your answer." She stands, "You must go now before the others are disturbed by your presence."

I look up at her and pull her into a quick, but warm hug, "Thank you, thank you so much." Then I back away and concentrate on the dimensional window, trying to fixate on Faith, I reach out to feel her essence, then in a flash I'm gone.

**CHICAGO - GRANT PARK – 10: 45 PM**

SOPHIA'S POV

Today has been rough. I spaced through most of the paperwork I had. I just couldn't shake this empty feeling inside me, like I don't feel right. No matter what I did today, I couldn't get Emma out of my mind. How can I miss her so much? It makes absolutely no sense at all. I mean, she was just here yesterday morning, but it feels like ages since I saw her. Maybe it's because she's there, Nibiru, so far away from me. I feel her, but it's so faded. I guess I know why Buffy freaked out when she stopped feeling Faith. Losing this connection to Em would... I can't even think about it. Shaking my head I try to clear my thoughts.

Then I feel that twinge and close my eyes, sensing a couple of vamps nearby. Getting a general direction, I make my way to the trees that line the lake. They're toying with a young skateboard kid who looks absolutely petrified. The teenager is mute in his fear as the vamps in full game face are making little gashes on his arms then licking up the blood.

"You guys are getting sicker by the second," I say as I make my presence known. The vamps, a man and a woman, look up at me while the kid faints. Using their hesitation, I jump kick the guy in the face as I spin and my fist comes down across the girl's head. Both are knocked on their asses for a moment.

Shaking off my attack, they jump up and rush me. "Fucking Slayers, always ruining our good time," the female chides as she advances.

Not really up for a long drawn out fight, I pull out my 9mm and dust them both in about 2 seconds flat, cool.

Taking in the shock on their faces, I can just about hear the dude whining, "Guns aren't fair," before he disappears into a pile of dust.

I move over to the kid and shake him awake, "What? What the fuck was that?"

"Some sick junkies," I say evenly, not too far off from the truth, "You ok? Where do you live?"

He dusts himself off and picks up his skateboard, "I'm fine, I'm just across the park." He shakes his head, "They were real freaks, kept telling me they were gonna drain my blood and shit. What psychos."

"Alright, get home before your parents start to worry," I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze.

He looks over at me, "Thanks, lady, I don't know how you scared them off, but I really appreciate it."

"Just lucky I guess," I smile at him as he turns to go. Well, at least one kid is going to make it home safe tonight. Looking out onto the lake, I remember being here on Sunday with Emma. I sigh, yeah, that was a good day.

In the distance I hear the kid shout out, "Hey, what's your damage?"

Looking out towards him I see two others standing near him. Then one bends to his neck... oh shit! Breaking out into a run I get to them just as the vamp throws the dead boy to my feet, "Not so good with the follow up, eh Sophia?"

"Who the fuck are you and how do you know my name?" I sneer at him and the Goth looking woman standing behind him. Narrowing my eyes at them, I feel their power and suddenly get a very bad feeling.

He smiles broadly as he comes nearer to me, "Such language for a woman of your stature: Chief of Staff at a prestigious hospital, one of the Slayers to defeat the First, and let's not forget the current love interest of our Emma." He flashes another smile as he reaches out a hand to mine, "Richard Welsh, my dear, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Do you really expect me to shake your hand?" I ask incredulously

He shrugs, "Ah, there is no honor among adversaries anymore, those days are truly gone." He shakes his head, "It's a pity, really it is."

"What game are you playing now?" I know I shouldn't bait him but I can't help but feel antagonistic towards this creature.

Standing in front of me, he holds my gaze. Oh no, the thrall, I can't move my head away from him, I can't break his stare. "No game, Slayer, I need to know where she is. Camille tells me she's jumped and we need her here. So tell me, where did she go?"

"There's... no... way... I'm... telling... you... anything," I finally manage. Gods, every word is an indescribable effort. My arms seem glued to my sides and then I realize it's a spell; the Goth woman is a Wicca, shit. Although I try to hold on, the gun slips from my hand and falls to the ground.

His gaze is so penetrating, I feel like he is looking through me. "I can see why she desires you, you're quite stunning." He puts a lazy hand through my hair, "So _loyal_ to your _lover_ aren't you?" He sneers, "It's going to be such a shame killing you, she must enjoy you immensely." His gaze turns lecherous, which only serves to fuel my hatred.

"Just do it," it takes all my strength to say it in one go. I'm scared, but I will not allow him the satisfaction of seeing me show any emotion beyond anger. For a single moment, knowing my life will be over soon, I think about Em and how I wish we had more time

He puts an arm around my waist; I'm completely powerless to move. Staring at me intently he narrows his eyes in realization, "You have not yet consummated your relationship have you?" he says with awe. "How chivalrous of her, it's refreshing really, especially in this day and age." He strokes the side of my face, "Sadly for you, I will not be so gallant," then he quickly sinks his teeth into my neck.

As much as his thrall had me swooning, the feel of him feeding from me is like I'm tripping on acid. A myriad of colors flash before my closed eyes and I swear I can hear the blood flowing out of my body into his mouth. I try to speak, but only manage to vainly gasp for air. The sound of my blood pounding in my head is starting to slow and I hear him moan in delight. Through it all though, just as I'm falling limp in his arms, I feel my connection to Emma grow stronger. She's back; thank the Gods she made it.

"Richard," Camille hisses, she sounds so very far away, "She's returned."

Slowly he pulls away yet hovers over his mark, continuously licking the wound until it closes. He's almost gentle. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it? Just a taste," he pants, "it's been so long since I've had a Slayer, don't want to be piggish." His face is very close to mine and I'm too weak to push him away. Only the ringing of my cell breaks his stare. Lasciviously sliding his hand down the length of my body, he digs into the front pocket of my jeans and takes the phone out. Looking at the screen, he smiles as he answers it, "Hello, Emma darling, Sophia and I were just talking about you. Did you have a nice trip? Where did you go my dear? Your girlfriend wouldn't tell me."

"If you hurt her - " the sound of Emma's voice, even enraged, while I'm in the arms of an ancient vampire, brings a relief to me I can't begin to describe.

He laughs then looks at me as he says, "Oh not too much. Do you wish to speak with her, Emma? Of course you must, hang on my dear," then he places the phone to my ear.

"Hey," I manage as I swallow hard, trying to sound ok, "I'm fine."

Hearing her take a breath, I can feel her willing herself to be calm, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I look at him, now knowing in some crazy way he's going to let me go, "Call you in a little bit."

He takes the phone away, "Until we meet again my dear," then he hangs up. Finally releasing me, he hands me my cell. "And perhaps we too shall meet again." He smiles then takes the Wicca's hand. In a flash they disappear.

Still woozy, I stumble then fall to my knees. Resting back on my calves, I try to pull myself together and find the strength to get home. I pick up my 9mm and put it in my waistband at the small of my back as I sigh and rise. Looking over to the skateboard kid, I shake my head. I really fucked that one up, shit. Realizing my cell is still in my hand; I dial 911 and call it in as I make my way out of the park.

By the time I get to my apartment, I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. Knowing I have to eat something, I grab some juice and make myself some eggs. Feeling better after I eat, I toss my plate in the sink and decide to deal with dishes tomorrow. Right now I need a hot shower, a really big drink and to call Em.

**CLEVELAND – LIVING ROOM – 12:17 AM**

EMMA'S POV

Faith and I are sitting in the living room waiting for Sophia's call. Even though I feel she's ok, tired and weak, but ok, we decide to jump to Chicago if we don't hear from her by 12:30. I've been a nervous wreck and Faith has been trying to calm me down. Willow and Dawn are researching spells while Andrew and Kennedy are re-working the security program to scan people for spells as they enter the compound. We told them we'd let them know if we were going to jump to her. Dawn was really freaked about it, but Andrew got her to help Will with the spell, if only to take her mind off Sophia not calling us for so long. We haven't even begun to talk about when happened on Nibiru; somehow, I don't think anyone can concentrate on that right now.

When she finally does call, I pick up my phone on the first ring, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," she slowly breathes into the phone, "Sorry it was a while, I had to eat something, took a shower, had a drink, well, a couple of drinks..."

Shaking my head, I'm ready to blow a gasket. How the hell can she be so blasé? Didn't she realize I'd be worried… then it dawns on me what she said, everything she said: eat, shower, drinks; I push out a breath, "That fucking bastard bit you didn't he?" I can't help the venom escape my lips. When my question is met with silence, I look at Faith's expectant face and nod. Her hand comes crashing down on the coffee table, smashing it to bits. She jumps up and starts to pace.

"What was that?" Sophia asks a bit panicked.

I sigh, "Faith," as I watch her stalk into the kitchen.

"Oh," she pauses, "anything irreplaceable?"

Shaking my head again, "No, just the coffee table." Taking the drink Faith offers, I watch as she picks up the shards of our former coffee table and places the bits in the log holder by the fireplace. Not wanting Sophia to be alone tonight, I offer, "I can jump to you and be there in less than a minute." I can feel her indecision as the silence drags on.

"No," she finally breathes out, "it's ok, besides you already jumped twice today, and you're going to have to again soon right? You know how it messes with your body."

She's so reasonable, so calm, almost too calm, "It doesn't matter, I don't want you to be alone." God I want to wrap her in my arms and make her feel safe.

"It matters, Em, _a lot. _I'm fine, really. It's not like the fledgling that bit you, it's a clean bite, only the two punctures, it's almost healed already." She's trying really hard to convince me.

Shaking my head again, "The damn wound is not the only thing I'm worried about, Sophia."

"I know," she takes a breath, "I know," it comes out so pained.

Realizing I shouldn't press anymore, I finally relent, "Ok, it's your call, I'm not gonna push. But if you change your mind, call me, ok?" Faith looks up at me and I shake my head 'no'. She nods as she gets up, rubbing my back as she passes me on her way upstairs.

"What are you drinking?" she ventures, ignoring my last comment.

"Bourbon," I reply as I pour another then place both the glass and the bottle on the mantle.

"Yeah? That's funny, me too," she laughs for a second then stops abruptly.

Letting a moment pass, I sigh, "Come here."

"Yeah, I think I will," she pauses, "Let me get things squared away at the hospital tomorrow, I'll try to get it all done in time to make the last flight, ok?" She's quiet again, then, "I miss you, Em." I can tell she's choking back tears now.

My heat is breaking for her as I feel a lump rise in my own throat, "Soph?"

"Yeah?" I hear her determination to keep it together.

Trying to project to her how much I care, I answer, "I miss you too, very much." I can almost see her nodding. "Try to make that last flight, ok? I'll pick you up."

"Ok, 'night Emma," she says as she hangs up the phone before I can respond.

Folding my cell, I set it on the mantle. Resigned, I reach for my glass and drain its contents, knowing there's not enough alcohol in the world to calm me down right now. And as I stand there, I swear to all the Gods I've ever heard of: if I ever see Richard again, I will tear him to pieces with my bare hands.

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 12:45 AM 6:45 AM GMT+1**

FAITH'S POV

When I get upstairs, I check on Nicky then go up to our room to call B, "Hey baby, she's home."

"Oh thank God, I think I had 5 minutes of sleep all night," she sighs, "It took a long time huh?"

Yeah, so do I tell her everything, the highlights or nothing until she comes home?

"Faith? What happened?"

How can she know? She is spooky. I exhale, "First of all, everybody's ok, alright?"

"Faith…" shit, she's growling.

Ok, full blown truth it is. After an hour, she knows as much as I do. We're silent for a little while, both thinking about what we can do, "Look B, by the time you get home tomorrow we'll know more about Em's conversation with the Goddess. Then we'll talk to the girls. I think Sophia is coming in tomorrow night too. I heard Em ask her to."

"I hate it that she's all alone," she sounds dejected.

Nodding, "I know, Emma wanted to jump to her, but Sophia said no. We have to respect her wishes if she wants to be alone."

"She probably didn't want Em to jump three times in a few hours." She pauses, "I'll bet Emma didn't do a vitals check when she got back, right?"

Shit, busted, "No, she felt Sophia was in trouble, so called her right away. Then we all got kinda sidetracked."

"I can see that happening," she ponders. "Promise you guys will do it in the morning?"

Nodding, "You got it; I'll get Red first thing before Em leaves for work."

"Good," she pauses, "Babe, I have to pack, so I can make it to the airport on time, ok?"

Smiling as I stifle a yawn, "You _are_ very witchy today B, I was just about to tell you I'm beat and wanted to hit the sack."

"Ok," she laughs, "I'll see you in a few hours ok?"

I nod, "You bet, B. I love you."

"I love you too, bye."

Then she's gone and I'm lying here alone in our bed, surrounded by everything that just screams Buffy. Shit. Grabbing her pillow and holding it close to my body, I try to make it through this last crazy night without her.


	19. Late Arrivals

**AN1: Thanks for the reviews guys, they are keeping me on my toes with the end drawing near. I appreciate them, so keep 'em coming ;-)**

**AN2: My South African Beta gave me what-for on this so, to those who need the Americanization - A sky cap is a person at the airport who checks your bags curbside so you don't have to drag them inside. The rent-a-cops at the airport are private security whose main purpose is to make people move their cars along.

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**Chapter 19: Late Arrivals**

Times have changed and times are strange

Here I come, but I ain't the same

Mama, I'm coming home

_Ozzy Osbourne, "Mama, I'm Coming Home"_

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NEXT DAY – WEDNESDAY – DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 6:30 AM**

DAWN'S POV

I've read Emma's email about four times and all I can think is _WOW_. I can't believe the Goddess told her so much and didn't question why she was there in the first place. Looking at my watch, I realize it's still too early to call Sophia. She's probably up, she's always up early, but I don't want to freak her out. Early morning phone calls are rarely a good thing.

Thank god Emma wrote out what happened in Nibiru last night, well, this morning and sent it out to us, or else I'd be going insane looking for something to do until I could talk to Soph. I know she's that whole strong, silent type, but this has to be hard for her especially alone. Even after Sunnydale, when we were in LA, she took time apart from the others. She would come by to see how I was doing then basically disappear for the rest of the day and night. She needed her own time to deal with the loss of so many of us, friends as well as new-comers. I want to respect her space, but it doesn't stop me from worrying about her.

Em was not happy about staying here last night, but didn't want Sophia to be angry with her for jumping again so soon. So Em just sat in the living room and polished off that bottle of Jim her and Faith had been drinking. She still must not have been able to sleep so she had the presence of mind to send out the email, knowing one of us would be up early to get started on the research.

Where oh where do I begin? I print out the email then clear off a white board. Taking a marker in one hand and the print out in the other, I begin:

Across the top I write in large block letters:

**Time in Nibiru – roughly ½ hour there 4 hours here**.

Then over to the far left side I list out:

Richard

- Emma's counterpart what does this mean exactly?

- Earthbound champion of Ellil God of Earth

- Exploit weaknesses

- Will harm others close to you

Well, I guess we figured that last one out. Shaking my head, I draw a line straight down the board and continue alongside:

Emma

- Blood of both worlds decide for both worlds

- Carved in stone

- Last sole chosen lead 3 to Nibiru

- Find the reason find the answers

I look at the email to see if I missed anything, then suddenly get a whiff of… coffee. Slowly turning around, I find my husband standing in the doorway with two steaming mugs. "I can't _believe_ you're researching without me!" he pouts as he walks in and places the mugs on his desk.

Putting the marker down, I shuffle over to him and wrap my arms around him, "I'm sorry honey. I was worried and couldn't sleep."

"Well, I guess I'll have to forgive you." His arms slowly come up around me as he gives me a much needed bear hug.

Nuzzling into his chest, I sigh, "We have a lot of work to do baby."

"What happened?" He pulls back from me.

Sitting him down at my desk, I bring up Emma's email then take one of the mugs, "You read and let me finish writing this out, ok?"

"K," he murmurs already lost in Em's tale as he sips his coffee.

Making another vertical line down the white board, I place the most amazing piece of information:

3 sides of the pyramid 3 versions of the future:

1 – Anunnaki will stop Slayers and the end will come for all worlds

2 – Anunnaki will stop when the Slayers ultimate sacrifice taken

3 – Anunnaki will stop as Slayers are proven with trials of blood

Shit, not that I didn't believe Nicky's vision years ago, but, damn, "Anunnaki", "stop" "Slayers", it's in each iteration; just different words surrounding it.

"Ha I like the end bit, 'I'm going to ask for a leave of absence today at work, hopefully I'll still have a job to come back to. ;-)' she's such a riot, even when she's all stressed out." He grabs his mug and comes to stand next to me in front of the white board. "Holy shit, you're right," he puts an arms around me, "we _do_ have a lot of work to do." He kisses the top of my head, "I'm going to make another pot of coffee."

The phone rings almost as soon as he leaves. "Hey Dawn." It's Sophia, thank god.

"How are you," I pause, "and I mean really, no fucking around," I go for concerned but firm.

She laughs at that, "I'm ok, I promise. A little freaked, but that will pass. Look, I wanted to tell you a couple of things that really shouldn't wait till I get there tonight."

"You're coming? Thank god," I sigh.

Hearing her slow sigh, "Yeah, I talked to Em about it last night. Then her email said Friday was D-day, so I'm trying to catch the last flight tonight." She takes a breath, "The Wicca that's with Richard, her name is Camille. Dawn, she knew Emma had jumped. That's why he came after me. I don't know how she's in tune with Em, but she knew the second she came back too." She pauses for a second, "I could feel when Em came back while he was trying to drain me. Then the Wicca told him she was back and he stopped."

"You think he stopped cause she was back?" This Richard is a real bastard but he really does know how to exploit people. The Goddess was dead on with that one.

Almost seeing her nod, "Yeah, one of the things he said was 'she's jumped and we need her here'. Dawn, why would they _need_ her here, what can that mean?"

"I don't know." I think for a moment, "What else did he say?"

She doesn't answer right away, "Some personal stuff about me and Emma." She blows out a breath, "He knew we were… well, together… and that we hadn't… I mean that we haven't… yet … Jesus," she laughs, "this is embarrassing."

"It's ok," I smile, "I get the idea. If you remember anything else, send me an email. That way we can add it to the pile of stuff we have to look into, ok?"

Hearing some rustling in the background, I realize she's probably getting ready for work. "Yeah, will do, just wanted to give you the heads up on the 'highlights', you know?"

"I know," I answer softly, "I'm really glad you called. I've been up for a while waiting for a decent time to check up on you."

She laughs, "You could have called, you know I'm up."

"Yeah, but I know you, and know you need time to think things out on your own." I smile, "I'm glad you're coming, Em wasn't happy when you told her not to jump to you last night."

Another laugh, "Yeah, I know. Look, I have to get going Dawn, see you tonight?"

"You bet; I'll be part of the welcoming committee. See you then." Then we hang up and I sit at my desk looking at the white board. Yeah, we have to figure this out fast.

**NICKY'S ROOM – 6:57 AM**

NICKY'S POV

_It's strange, I know this place, but I don't. It's so hot and claustrophobic here. I've been walking down this corridor forever it seems. The rock walls lining the path are grey and hot to the touch. My feet are kicking up little puffs of dirt as I walk. Then it hits me, I'm in Sanal. The heat, the caves, the dust… how could I have forgotten?_

_Almost as soon as I realize where I am, I come to a large opening, almost like a room. Then I see Buffy and Faith, they are holding hands, sweet. I call to them but they don't hear me, they are looking over at something far away. I try to see what they are looking at, but can't make it out. As I draw nearer, I'm so happy to see they are looking at Emma. She's operating on someone. That's weird, cause she's not a surgeon, then I laugh to myself, silly Nicky, you're dreaming, that's why nothing is making sense._

_Buffy and Faith walk away and I try to follow them, but I can't. Making my way towards Emma, I find I can't move, someone had grabbed my shoulders._

"_She doesn't need you anymore," the voice tells me. The voice is familiar, but I can't place it._

_Furrowing my brow, I'm confused, "Who doesn't need me? Emma? Of course she needs me, we're buds, we're sisters, we'll always need each other."_

"_Look," he points to Em who has just been joined by Sophia, "she has a _girlfriend_ now; she won't have time for you anymore."_

_Getting very angry, I shout, "That's not true, Em will always have time for me!"_

"_Not if I can help it," then I see him, Richard, as he pushes Sophia away as he begins to drain Emma dry. Sophia looks up from the floor and I see her neck is bleeding too, it's running down from two puncture marks. When did he bite her? And he's killing Emma, and Buffy and Faith are gone, and now all I can do is scream Emma's name as she crumples to the ground._

"Wake up, honey wake up, it's ok, I'm here," Emma coos to me as I wake up covered in sweat in her arms.

I look at her, then around and realize it was a nightmare, bury my head in her shoulder and burst into tears.

"Shhh, it's ok" she tries again to calm me, "tell me what you dreamt about," she coaxes as she pulls me onto her lap and leans against the headboard.

Trying to get a grip, I start, "I was in Sanal and then Buffy and Faith were there and nobody knew I was there, then you couldn't hear me and then Sophia came and then Richard was there and…" I can't talk anymore as my sobs take my breath away.

"Shhh, I'll never let him hurt you, Nicky. I promise you that on my life," she holds my gaze then pulls me closer to her.

Basking in the safety of Emma's arms, I realize something from my dream, "He bit Sophia last night didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," she says evenly.

I turn to face her, "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's coming later on tonight," she tries to soothe me, "it will probably be too late for you to be up, but she'll see you tomorrow morning."

Burrowing deeper into her, I sigh, "I'm sorry I'm acting like a big baby. I was just scared. I felt so alone."

"You're not acting like a big baby. But you're not alone, kiddo, I'm right here with you," she kisses the side of my forehead. "How about while I'm in the shower you write out everything you remember from your dream and we'll give it to Andy to figure out?"

Pouting a little, I bow my head, "Some of it was stupid and not nice and me just being a jerk."

"Well, then you don't have to show it to anyone but him and swear him to secrecy. Sometimes the little personal things have other meanings you know? So maybe if one other person knows, he'll be able to figure something out and not embarrass you, ok?"

Rubbing my head into her shoulder, I nod. Then I silently curse Richard for invading my dream. He's so _not_ a good man, and I don't care what anyone says about the old stories of Angel and Spike, vampires are _not_ good, they never can be. I will not let him or any anyone else destroy my family.

**BACK PORCH – 1:36 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

"Hey" Nicky calls out to me.

Looking over at her, I smile, "Hey yourself."

"I need to talk to you about something important," she has quite the stern look in her eyes. Hell, we've all been on edge for a while, why not the mini Slayer too?

Sitting down next to her, I regard her seriousness, "Shoot."

"I want you to teach me how to fight."

Confused, I falter, "But that's what I have - "

"No," she looks me dead in the eye, "I mean really teach me." She hardens her gaze to that of someone twice her age. "I won't be any help if the others are wasting time trying to protect me. I need to be able to hold my own."

Slowly nodding, I begin to understand. Will and I heard her this morning, none of us know if it was just a nightmare or a vision. She's scared now but determined; it's a good combination, "You have to pay attention and train a lot in these couple of days." I narrow my eyes at her, "No bullshit about bruised feelings when we're training Nicky, absolutely none, understand? There's no time for it."

"I won't, Ken, I promise," she holds my gaze, "I know I'm little, but I know how important this is." She sighs then turns away, looking out to the yard, "That's why I asked you not Faith. She'd be easy on me and I need you not to be."

Standing, I turn to her, "Alright then, let's go downstairs, your extra training sessions begin right now."

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 8:55 PM**

FAITH'S POV

B's homecoming started off a shade on the perfect side. Her plane got in a half hour early so she hopped a cab home and was in my arms three seconds after the cabbie pulled into the driveway. Nicky spent the day with her little boyfriend across the street, Em got out of work early and had no problems getting a leave of absence, we had an amazing light dinner care of Andrew, Red had almost finished the spell she was working on for us and now the girls are in our room knowing most of the happiness of this past hour is going to disappear.

There's a 'General Buffy' feel to B right now as she paces while we watch her from our places on the bed. She had been able to access Emma's email this morning at the airport before her flight took off. So did her own research during the transcontinental flight. She finally stops and turns to us, "You're certain she said the next waxing moon?" she asks Emma, knowing the answer already.

"Yeah, Buffy, not something I'd forget," Emma sighs, "Will and Dawn already gave me the inquisition this morning. Besides, before I even started writing it out, I checked on the internet when the next one would be. Friday's it."

B nods then bows her head, "I know honey, I'm just… well, I..." She sits on the edge of the over-stuffed reading chair and runs her hands through her hair.

"Come here," I call to her.

She looks up at me, then the girls and smiles. Walking over and sitting next to me, she takes my hand, "I'm not doing this very well, am I?"

"Doing what?" Nicky is looking at us expectantly.

Taking a breath, I lean back against the headboard and begin, "Nick, Buffy and I wanted to talk to you two about Nibiru and what different things can happen there." I look over to Emma who has her jaw clenched tightly, "It's going to be very dangerous and, well," I feel B squeeze my hand; "there's a very real chance not all of us will make it back."

"You mean like we can really die there?" Nicky cuts to the chase.

Nodding, I meet her wide eyes, "Yeah we really can."

"But, but…" Nicky looks around to each of us, clearly distraught, "I don't want any of you to die."

Emma puts her arm around her shoulders and hugs her tightly, "Dying is not the plan, kiddo. This is the 'just in case' conversation."

"I don't want to have a 'just in case' conversation," tears begin to slide down her cheeks, "because no one is going to die!"

Motioning Nicky to come to me, she crawls into my lap. As I put my arms around her, Em lays across the bottom of the bed, head resting on her hand, as B leans back against the headboard next to me. "Look honey, Buffy and I have been through a ton of these things, and we're not going to let anything happen to you."

"Neither will I Nick, like I told you this morning," Em adds.

Nicky slowly nods, "Ok, but what about - "

"We'll all be watching out for each other. But sometimes things happen and people die. Just like your parents died." I take another huge breath as Nick nods against my chest. "Well, you remember how your Dad wrote that letter to me about taking care of you?"

Nicky pulls away from me as her eye dart between me and B, "Yeah," she says slowly.

"Well," Buffy takes over, "Faith and I had some papers drawn up, just in case something happens to us, that say Dawn and Andrew would be your guardians."

Emma immediately lifts her head, "But why them?"

"Em, we had to prepare for the worst case," Buffy begs her in her stare not to have to say it aloud, "ok? It's not like they'd be going anywhere from here if something does happen."

She bows her head then once again rests it on her hand, "Yeah, I get it." No longer feeling slighted, I think Emma feels more resigned.

"Nicky, Friday is only 2 days away, and you need to do a lot of training. The most important thing you need to know is how to come back here," I swallow, "if one or more of us is hurt or if you're alone. So me, Em and Red are - "

Our little slayer jumps from my arms, "Alone?? I won't be alone… you mean you think ALL of you are going to die and leave me alone in another freaking dimension???"

"Whoa, babe, it's just like Em said, this is the 'just in case' conversation," I try to pull her back to me, but she's having none of it.

Em sits up, "Nicky, we'll make it out of this. We're going to do some extra training, sharpen our skills. We'll be there and back before you know it."

Nick jumps off my lap and onto the floor, "I'm not letting anything happen to any of us." She leans against Em, "They'll have to get though us and we're pretty tough right?"

"You betcha!" Em rubs her shoulder as she looks over a B and me, "See? We got nothing to worry about."

I return her smile and B just lays her head on my shoulder, "Yeah, I see that."

Em's phone buzzes and she looks at the screen. Before she reads it, Nick rips it from her hand, "Is it Sophia?" then she reads the txt aloud 'Got the plane. It gets in 11:27. See you then? S'"

Nicky looks up as Emma laughs, "It's just really cute how Sophia refuses to shorten words for texting." She takes the phone back to reply.

"Wait, what are you replying," Nicky leans over and reads Em reply as she enters it, 'k - b waiting 4 u.'

Nicky rests back against Em and smiles, "See; now Sophia's going to be here, so even if someone gets hurt she'll be able to fix them up."

"Exactly," I smile back at her, wondering if she overheard Willow talking bout her spell.

Emma takes Nicky by the hand, "Come on hot stuff, it's like 10:30, somebody needs to get ready for bed." She throws a grin to me and B, "And I think these two need a little alone time."

"Oh, ok, 'alone time'" she drags out the two words as they leave, "can I wait up for Sophia?"

Em laughs as she ushers her out of our room them closes the door, "Brush your teeth and wash your face first, then we'll talk."

"Hmmm, I think you just want some 'alone time' too!" Nicky teases her.

We hear their footsteps as Em chases her down the stairs, "Why I oughtta…"

"I guess I didn't fuck that up too bad, right?" B asks as she lays her head in my lap.

Smoothing her hair away from her face, "You didn't fuck anything up, baby. I think they took it pretty well."

"Nicky was kinda freaked," she looks up at me.

Reaching down to kiss her, "She'll be fine, we all will."

"I think I'm kinda freaked too," she wraps her arms around my waist and sighs.

Bending down, I kiss the top of her head and rub her back, "You're just tired and jet lagged, baby." Smirking a bit, I pull her to face me, "I know tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up next to General Buffy and she's gonna make everyone crazy with the orders, the researching, checking and double checking the spell..."

"You're a big meany and you know it," she pinches my side.

My laughter turns to a wince, "Ouch! Hey, oh with the pinching, stop!"

"Hmmm, that should teach you not to mess with 'General Buffy'," she gets up and stands over me, hands on hips. "I knew that's what you guys called me in Sunnydale, by the way. Can you say 'so babyish' Faith?"

Smiling, I put my hands on her waist to pull her back to me, "First of all, Dawn started it, so go talk to your sister." Taking in her shocked look I laugh again.

"There is nothing sacred, not even the bonds of sisterhood!" she pouts.

Placing a slow kiss on her stomach, I continue, "And I thought you liked it when I 'messed' with General Buffy?"

"Oh babe," she holds my head to her and sighs, "You know I do."

**AIRPORT – 11:20 PM**

EMMA'S POV

My mind is whirling right now. Our family meeting was sobering to say the least. It's like it all finally hit me, it's one thing to know you're going to die one day, even sooner than most people. But for odds to be it's going to happen in 3 days kinda gives you reason for pause.

Nicky's totally freaked out by the notion of one of us not coming back; she won't even consider more than one. It feels like we just got her over the whole separation anxiety thing, now permanent separation is a very real option.

Permanent separation... shit, I shake my head as I jump up to sit on the hood of my car. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and feel Sophia is very close, she must have just landed. Staring down at my dangling feet, I wonder if it's really fair to her to continue this. Won't it just be that much harder for her if I don't come back? Like it or not, that's the most viable option. Two out of three scenarios having people dying; I'd be a fool to say it won't be me.

Maybe I should just cool this off and see what happens if I make it back. I mean anything can happen and I know I'd do absolutely anything to keep Nicky out of danger. And Buffy and Faith have done so much already; my dying feels right in some completely awful, horrible but true way. I can't shake the feeling I will never see any of them after this. Spiraling down into my own world of doom and gloom, I suddenly realize there is a pair of shoes in front of me, then a finger lifting my chin. I look up to see a very tired Sophia smiling at me.

"Hey," she cocks her head to the side, "lost in thought?"

Sighing, I return her smile then reach out and pull her into me. Then I promptly forget everything I _just_ told myself when her lips touch mine. The sweet taste of her soothes me immediately and I realize I'd be a bigger fool to think I won't fight to come back for this, for her. Leaning back a little, I take a good look at her, "How are you?"

"Ok," she smiles again, "better now." She visibly relaxes in my arms until our reunion is broken up by some catcalls from the sky caps as well as some other people milling about enjoying the free show.

Regretting that I have to let go, I give her a sheepish grin, "Let's go home, we'll get less comments there."

"Right," she laughs as she opens the passenger side door, "I think we're safer with the sky caps and rent-a-cops."

I jump into my car and start the engine. Before I pull away, I take her hand and kiss it then rest it on the gear shift with mine. "At least I can kick their asses though," then wink at her as I pull onto the freeway.

We spend the next half hour talking about everything Buffy and Faith said tonight. Sophia asks no questions, just listens as I tell her what happened. When we get home around midnight, Buffy, Faith and Dawn are waiting for us. They're set up in the living room with a couple bottles of wine and another one of Nicky's special cheese plates. The lovely cheese plate creator crashed a little bit after 11:00 so didn't get to see her masterpiece get devoured.

Dawn swoops Sophia into a huge bear hug as soon as she walks in the door, "I'm so glad you're here." She carefully inspects Sophia's neck, "Jesus, you can barely see it, just like Dracula's."

Not wanting to interrupt them, I ask Faith, "Are we the last ones in?"

"Yeah, you lock up and I'll get you two a drink?" she raises her eyebrows.

Nodding, "Sounds like a plan," I walk into Dawn and Andrew's office to the control panel and activate the alarms.

Dawn didn't stay long, only an hour or so, she was up at 6 and totally exhausted from researching all day. Her and Willow are working on some other kind of spell for us. She gave Sophia another fierce hug then said goodnight.

Buffy is leaning her head on Faith's shoulder just looking at us, a smile gracing her face. "What?" I ask, not really in the mood for teasing tonight.

"Huh?" Buff shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I'm pretty beat myself." She runs her hand down Faith's thigh and squeezes at the kneecap. "I was up all last night worrying about you, then I couldn't sleep on the plane because I was worried about you, Sophia." She smiles at us now, "I'm glad you're both here, safe and sound. But now," she gets up and takes Faith's hand, "we need to get to bed too. So good night and see you in the morning."

Faith allows Buffy to pull her off the couch, "The number one Slayer has spoken!" She laughs as Buffy slaps her shoulder, "Goodnight guys."

Then we are alone, "So, more wine or hit the sack?" I look over to her.

"I'm thinking sack if you don't mind," she rests her head on the back of the couch and closes her eyes.

She does look pretty tired. I was too the day after. "Sounds good to me, I went in early," I take her glass and bring it to the kitchen. When we get to the second floor, she hesitates at the guest room next to mine, the one she usually takes. "Talk about not being an option," I pull her into my room.

"Well I didn't want to assume…" she smiles.

I close my door as Sophia tosses her duffle on my desk chair and sits on my bed. "You're a funny lady," I shake my head. Walking over to her, I crouch down in front of her and rest my hands on her thighs, "You really ok?"

She raises her head and cups my face in her hands, "Getting there," she smiles then bends to kiss me. I lean into her kiss and slide my arms around her waist. Pulling me with her, she falls back onto the bed and drags me on top of her. Slowly breaking away, she kisses my forehead then slips her hands under the back of my shirt, making slow circles on my back just like she did over the weekend… nice. "It's a tease to feel your being and not feel_ you_."

"I know, you should have let me come to you last night," I roll to the side and lean my head in my hand. Knowing all too well about the healing power of her touch, I run my hand over hers and smile, "All I wanted to do was hold you all night."

She smiles such a sad smile back to me, "And that's all I wanted too." I'm about to say something, but she cuts me off. "You jumped twice in four hours, Em. I wasn't going to let you do it again."

"My tests were all clear this morning." I lean over and give her a quick kiss. "I would have come anyway," I state plainly, letting it go unsaid that I didn't really care about the consequences.

Sophia runs a hand through my hair and pulls me a bit closer, "I know, that's why I couldn't let you." She kisses me warmly then pulls away, "I'm here now, besides, how are you gonna take care of your girl if you don't take care of yourself?"

"I can take care of y-…" I stop and look at her questioningly, trying to stop the gigantic smile that's spreading on my face, "Yeah? Really? My girl?"

She laughs as I scoop her up and lean over her, "Like I have a choice," she brushes her lips against mine in a quick kiss. "Who could resist you?"

"Well, do you want to resist me?" I cautiously ask, running my hands into her hair.

She searches my eyes as she slides her hands up and down my sides, driving me absolutely insane, "It's getting harder and harder."

"So maybe if I get back from this craziness we'll see if the wait was worth it, huh?" I waggle my eyebrows in my best Faith imitation.

She smiles, "_When you get back_," she counters as she reaches up to kiss me again, "I have no doubt it will be."

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 2:57 AM**

BUFFY'S POV

There's a fine sheen of sweat now covering Faith's entire body as I slowly bring her down. She's still gasping for air as I alternate little kisses on the insides of her thighs, my fingers still trapped within her. Leaving them in place I slowly make my way up her body, trailing kisses on every piece of skin I find, hip, stomach, breast, neck, until I find those luscious lips again. God, I love her lips. Hell, I love every inch of her.

"You're trying to kill me," she breathes out.

Nuzzling into her neck again, I murmur, "Nah, I just can't get enough of you." Sliding my thumb over her soft, hot, wetness, we both groan again. "I missed you so much."

"B-B-Buffy," she's so sensitive, I barely need to touch her to make her mine again. Once more, I bring her slowly down. "God you really need to stop," she grazes her fingers over mine until I allow mine to slip from her. With great effort, she reverses our positions until she's leaning over me. "The forces of evil would have a field day with me right now," she nuzzles into my neck and leans her weight on me in the type of exhaustion I love to bring out in her.

Smiling widely, I run my hands up and down her back, "I guess my work here is done now that I've softened you up for the big fight?"

"Yeah, I always knew that 'good girl' thing was a front," she mumbles into my neck.

Holding her tightly to me, I revel in her touch, her smell, her taste that's still on my lips. I feel her breath start to slow, "I love you, Faith. I always have and always will."

"I love you too, B. And I always knew," she leans up to kiss me, "Sleep baby, we have a lot to do tomorrow and _somebody_ kept me up all night."

Raising my eyebrow, "Like you were really saying, 'oh, no, stop, don't' right?"

"You know I can't say no to you," she kisses me again.

Gathering her in my arms as she tucks her head under my chin, "And I recall someone that is NOT me, started with the frisky behavior…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she feigns shock.

Slowly breaking away I nod, "Uh huh… good thing I know, and you're right, we should try and get some sleep." Looking over at the clock, my eyes fly open wide, "Shit, babe it's almost 3."

"Yeah," she snuggles back into me, "it will be morning soon."


	20. When Tomorrow Comes

**Chapter 20: When Tomorrow Comes**

And we were feeling very small

Underneath the universe.

And you know that I'm gonna be the one

Who'll be there when you need

Someone to depend upon

When tomorrow comes...

When tomorrow comes...

_Eurythmics__, "When Tomorrow Comes"_

**

* * *

NEXT DAY – THURSDAY – EMMA'S ROOM – 5:42 AM**

SOPHIA'S POV

Morning broke just about 20 minutes ago. I watched as the room went from darkness, to peach, to the warm yellow it is now. Lazily tracing Emma's arm, I can't begin to describe how I feel when I wake up wrapped in her arms. She's melded into my back; one arm wrapping under my pillow, resting on my shoulder, the other is flung over my waist, holding me tightly to her. When I teased her about the 'death grip' I really wasn't kidding. I quietly laugh at this as I continue to stroke the forearm and shoulder that is keeping me flush against her. I'm still getting used to a woman's body next to mine: the unbelievable softness, the gentle way she breathes, the down-like feel of the hairs on her arm. And it's not just any woman, but a Slayer; I smile again as I allow the tingles to run through me. It's also not just any Slayer, it's Emma. Sighing, I lay my arms over hers and press back into her.

She shifts slightly then pulls me closer as she groans. "It's too early," she breathes into my ear, immediately sending a fresh round of chills down my entire body.

"Go back to sleep baby," I turn to her and place a kiss on her forehead. Yeah, I can so get used to this.

Nuzzling into the back of my head, she mumbles, "Mmmm, up now." Then she starts to lay soft kisses on my neck. A moan escapes my mouth as she kisses the side of my neck, slowly teasing near Richard's bite with her tongue. I can't believe how sensitive it is and how erotic it feels when she… oh God, she grazes her teeth along my hairline just as her hands have found their way under my shirt sweeping back and forth along my stomach. As her hands start to drift further north, I can't help the sound of my labored breathing fill the room.

I sigh then close my eyes as her hands find my breasts. A jolt of pleasure rushes through me as my nipples harden to her touch. I want her and I can't take waiting any more. Reaching back I hold her head close to my neck and moan again, "God, Em."

My voice jars her and suddenly her movements stop, like dead in her tracks, "Soph, I… I'm sorry," she sputters, "I couldn't help… I just... you feel so incredible..." she slowly disengages her hands from my chest, moving to the safer, non-sexually charged tummy area. Although at this point, even my fingernails are sexually charged.

"You don't have to stop," I pant out then exhale deeply.

She rests her head against my shoulder for a moment then leans back so I can roll onto my back, "Yeah, I really do." She gives me a smoldering look that speaks of the many things she wants to do right now, stopping not really being one of them.

"We don't have to wait anymore Em," I reach up and cup her cheek, bringing her down to me for a very long, very intense kiss.

Leaning back, eyes still closed, she lets a huge breath go then opens her eyes, "I want you, Sophia; make no mistake about that, but I... I want to wait." She searches my eyes, "Please tell me you understand?"

"You're coming back," sighing, I smile as trace her mouth with my fingertips, "You think you're going to make me fall for you, then traipse off and die a hero?" shaking my head at her I lean up and brush my lips against hers, "I thought we already talked about how you're not going to be a superhero, right?" She looks expectantly at me and I nod with her. "You're coming back, baby." I say it with every ounce of determination I have.

She smiles such a warm smile, it speaks of all the things we haven't said, but know we feel, "I like it when you call me 'baby.'" She reaches out and gently caresses the side of my face with the back of her hand. Yeah, she's changing the subject, but that's ok, we'll wait.

"How about we try to get in another hour or so before we have to get up?" I venture, running my hands up and down her back.

She eyes me warily, "You're not going to go back to sleep..."

"You never know; I just might," I laugh. "Maybe I just want to spend the morning in bed with you."

Placing her head on my chest, she gathers me in her arms and sighs, "Fine by me, I could stay like this all day."

"Me too, Em, me too," I kiss her forehead and pull her closer. And as I close my eyes, I repeat my mantra, 'she's coming back' it's become the only thing that's keeping me sane right now.

**KITCHEN – 6:47 AM**

NICKY'S POV

Thank god I woke up from my dream without screaming like yesterday. I don't want Sophia to think I'm a baby. Sighing, I take the coffee out of the freezer and start to make a pot. They'll all be up soon and hot coffee waiting will make them happy. Trying to put aside the images that bastard has somehow managed to force through my barrier while I was sleeping, I look in the fridge for the fixings for breakfast.

Getting out eggs, milk, cheese, red peppers, red onion and potatoes, I put it all on the table then look for my new J. A. Henckels chef's knife that Andrew got me. After testing it's sharpness against my thumb, I get out the cutting board and begin to chop. I'm just about done when Emma and Sophia come in.

"Hey, you're up early," Sophia comes over to me and gives me a hug.

Em goes for the steaming pot, "And you made coffee, I've always liked you." She grabs a couple of mugs then hands one to Sophia. Looking back to me, our eyes meet briefly, but I turn away.

"I hope you guys are hungry, I'm making a frittata for you Sophia," I try to ignore Emma's stare.

Putting down her mug, Emma comes to stand next to me, "You had another nightmare didn't you?"

"Oh, it was nothing," I try to brush it off.

She turns me to face her, "It's _never_ nothing Nick, never, what did he do this time?"

"Em," Sophia rubs her back, "calm down." Then she looks at me, "You up to talking about it?"

Pushing out a breath, I look back and forth to each of them then turn to throw the blanched potatoes into a skillet with some butter. "He breaks right through my barrier," I start softly, "it's the Wicca doing it; I can feel her magic." Mixing the rest of the ingredients together, I put it all in the pan and let it simmer. With both hands on either side of the stove I stare at the skillet, "He's trying to scare me, to make me feel helpless and alone. I get that, I really do."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," Emma prods.

Now I'm crying, "But some of what he's showing me is true; I saw it in a vision yesterday." Em comes over and wraps me in her arms. I rest my head on her shoulder and try to finally tell her what's been weighing on my mind since yesterday morning. Taking a deep breath, I say it, "Buffy's going to die on Nibiru and it's because of me."

"Oh Nick," Emma holds me closer then sighs, "that's why you went to Ken?"

I nod into her, "If I can fight better, then she won't have to protect me, then she won't die right?"

"Did you tell anyone about your vision?" Sophia asks softly.

Nodding, I step away from Emma's arms and wipe my face, "I told Willow last night before Buffy came home." I sniffle, "she said she'd fix it, but I don't know what that means. I mean, really, how can she fix that?"

**DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 12:15 PM**

DAWN'S POV

The gang is all in our office, well except for Ken and Nicky; they're off doing some intensive training. We've been going over all the research we've done over the past 24 hours and have made an accidental breakthrough with Camille. While Sophia was describing her, Emma started to finish the description. We were all pretty shocked until Emma explained that they had met at the Coven's June retreat a few years ago.

"It was the summer right after Nicky came here," Emma tries to remember everything she can think of, "She was from St. John?... no St. Criox?... ah that's not it either. Shit, I know it's one of Islands."

Andrew tries to help her relax, "Try not to dwell on it, it might just come - "

"St. Thomas!" she cuts him off, "Sorry Andy." Then she turns to me as I plug that into the Coven's database.

Looking at the screen, I glance through the results returned, "Ok, standard stuff, her parents were in the North American order, wanted her to broaden her horizons so sent her to the summer retreat…" glancing up at everyone, "that's it, she never went back."

"Were you very friendly?" Willow asks slowly.

Emma shakes her head, "Not beyond 'hi' and 'bye', she was kinda weird, kinda like she was trying too hard to fit the part you know?"

"Do you remember if you lost anything then?" Will prods.

Rolling her eyes, Em laughs, "Will it was 3 years ago, I can't rem - "

"What was it," the redhead knows she's on to something.

Em shakes her head, "It was just a stupid bracelet from a flavor…" her eyes shut as her blush grows. She bows her head away from Sophia, "A girl I went on a couple of dates with gave it to me."

I glance at Sophia who is barely containing her laughter, then back to Willow who is so wrapped in her own head she's not catching the show. I chuckle to myself then Faith pushes the envelope.

"Damn Emma, if that description didn't fit half of Ohio, maybe you wouldn't have had to move on to another state," Faith cracks up. Buffy slaps her shoulder but is laughing as well.

With everyone having a good laugh at Emma's expense, Sophia leans over to her and takes her hand. Emma warily looks up, but the look in Sophia's eyes tells her it's ok. Em looks down at their hands then squeezes slightly. Smiling at them, I catch Soph's eye and wink at her. That first "public" acknowledgement of their relationship went pretty well, for us that is... And the mini PDA of hand holding, which is still going on, didn't warrant any further comments, so I'm guessing their initiation into the incestuous-ness of Slayer Central is officially over.

"Thanks for the levity Faith," Andrew quips, "much needed right now."

Faith leans back, very proud of her wit, "It's the only reason B here keeps me around."

"Somehow I doubt that," he retorts, that get another round of laughs.

Getting up, I want to get this back on track, we are all too eager to allay each other's fears by joking right now. But we don't have the time. I write on the white board under Richard's other points:

Camille - Wicca

- Planting Richard into Nicky's dreams

- Made a talisman to monitor Emma's movements.

"Exactly," Willow nods at me, "I'm thinking she did the same for Faith and Nicky. Most likely she went to Sanal and took what ever discarded things you guys left at the camp." Will stops for a moment to ponder.

I add:

- Talisman to monitor Faith & Nicky?

Sophia speaks up, "Dawn, remember what I told you Richard said to me the other night, that he 'needs Emma here.' Why would he 'need' that?"

"The Goddess," I say and oddly know it to be the answer, "Richard and Ellil are afraid that Ereshkigal would give Em something to help us." Looking at the printouts of every word the Goddess told Emma, both in the dream and on Nibiru I look at everyone, then my watch, "Ok, someone order pizza, I'm going to make copies of this."

**LATER THAT AFTERNOON IN DAWN & ANDREW'S OFFICE – 5:30 PM**

WILLOW'S POV

"Damn, Red," Faith runs her hands through her hair, then shakes it out, "are you sure it's gonna work?"

Looking at her then Buffy, I sigh, "As sure as I'll ever be. I modified the spell I used when Em went alone."

"But she never got hurt so we don't really know if that one worked or not." Faith is so not making this easy for me.

Yes, I know, thanks for that Faith, I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath, "I realize that," I begin, "the spell should be fine."

"So if one of us dies there, we'll jump back to triage?" Emma's stare goes right through me.

Nodding, I take in the now completely silent room. "I know you can all get injured, but still fight and you are going to have to be injured in order to fulfill the whole 'trials of blood' thingie. So just in case something happens," I look down at my feet, "well, anything bad happens, you'll come back here and Sophia will be standing by to revive you." I look up at my captive audience, "That's the plan."

"I'm going to see what we need downstairs." Sophia stands and looks at Dawn, "I'll make you a list, ok?"

Dawn nods, "Yeah, I can order it tonight and they'll deliver it in the morning." She laughs, "Money has its perks, right?"

"Yeah, too bad we can't pay off the Anunnaki," Sophia lays her hand on Emma's shoulder, squeezes, then turns to go.

She walks out as Andrew walks in with an express delivery package. "Hey, I'm back," he calls out then sits at his desk. He had to go to the airport to pick it up personally.

"Kinda got that," I tease.

He gives me a little sneer, then smiles, "Yeah, right." Setting the box down he rests his hands on it, "Ok, here's the deal from my RPG buddy at NASA," he takes in our blank stares then blushes a little, "oh, ah, RPG… Roll Playing Game…" Clearing his throat, he continues, "The government is calling Nibiru 'Planet 230', exotic huh?" He rolls his eyes, "Anyway, she told me that they were watching its trajectory and if what we say is true, we are going to have to shake it from its orbit before it can affect Earth."

"Meaning when?" Buffy speaks first.

He sighs, "We have 4 days." He looks to Dawn then back to Buffy, "Whatever is happening on Nibiru, you guys need to be back here before then."

"I would think we'd be back in 4 days Andy," she furrows her brow, "we defeated the First in like a morning."

Opening the box, he begins to lay out its contents on his desk, "I know Buff, but 3 hours there is 1 day here, there can be no mistakes about time. That's why I have these," he holds up a huge wrist watch.

"Ok, so not a fashion accessory," Buffy tries to joke.

We all chuckle at that then I walk over to him to inspect one, "These are from NASA?"

"Yeah, the astronauts wear them so they know the time at all the different landing zones." He picks one up, "You can program up to 4 time/date locations, but I'll only do the time here and a count for there. That way you can seem them both simultaneously."

Faith gets up, moves to the window, and crosses her arms as she stares out, "So we'll have 12 hours before you force Nibiru out of it's orbit."

"Yeah," he gets up and walks over to Faith, "But I'm sure you'll all be back before then."

Buffy snorts, "Yeah, one way or another," she looks up immediately to see all of us staring at her. "Did I say that out loud?"

**TRIAGE – 6:30 PM**

EMMA'S POV

I wander downstairs to find Sophia in Triage. She's at the supply cabinet leaning over a clipboard writing furiously, filling in the requisition sheet for Dawn. Her hair is swept up in one of those big jaw clips and her brow is furrowed in concentration as she glances back and forth from the cabinet to the board. And I'll be damned; I never knew she wore glasses.

Walking up behind her, I slowly slide my hands up her sides, my fingertips just barely grazing the swell of her breasts before making their way back down her waist. She gasps then leans back into me. Closing my eyes as I meld my body flush with hers. I rest my lips on the back of her neck and exhale, "God, I love a woman in glasses." Kissing her neck I murmur softly, "so very sexy." Snaking a hand up, I remove the clip, letting her hair tumble loose over her shoulders then wrap her up in my arms.

"Oh yeah?" she laughs and lays her arms over mine, "maybe I should wear them more often?"

Nuzzling her neck, I nod enthusiastically as I whisper to her, "_Oh yeah_." I feel the goose bumps rise on her arms as I trace the outside of her ear with my tongue then place little kisses in its wake.

"Do you have _any_ idea what you're doing to me?" she breathes out.

Taking the clipboard and pen from her hands, I throw them on a gurney then turn her to face me. There are no words for what I feel for this woman or how she makes me feel when she looks at me as she is now. Hoping to show her, I pull her close and place a tender kiss on her lips. Moving slowly, I nibble on her top lip, then the bottom, lightly grazing my teeth, tongue and lips against her mouth. Running my hands up her back, I press her into me, feeling the little shocks of want spark. Her tongue ventures out to meet mine, gradually, almost hesitantly then I stroke it firmly against my own before slowly retreating. Pulling away, I lick my lips as I drink her in, "I wish we had more time..." Taking a leveling breath, I hold her face in my hands then lock my eyes with hers, "If I get back - "

"_When_ you get back," she cuts me off as she pulls my hands down into hers. I can tell she's getting a little exasperated with me now.

The intensity of her stare makes me nod along with her, "_When_ I get back," I amend, "I want to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it's just us." I pause to smile, "What do you say?"

"Any place in particular?" she raises an eyebrow.

Grinning, I pull her close, "Surprise me?"

"I'm on it," she smiles back at me.

After leaning in for a quick kiss, "Come on, let's get upstairs, Andrew wants to go over a couple of things before dinner."

**KNOLLWOOD CEMETARY – 9:30 PM**

KENNEDY'S POV

Faith and I are sitting on a couple of tombstones watching Nicky stalk a vamp. She's holding her own so far and damn this one is surprised to see this little tyke kick his ass. Like a duck to water, I'll never get used to watching a Slayer dust her first Vamp. That thrill in her eyes, you can almost see her adrenaline pumping. We knew it was time to get her feet wet. She can't go off fighting in another dimension if she's never fought here, right? I thought Buffy was going to kill me when I suggested it after dinner, then Faith readily agreed with me, well, let me tell you, that made Buffy _real_ happy. After the two of them had a short, heated, conversation, we left for here.

So now my best friend and I watch her daughter tangle with her first vamp as Faith recounts this afternoon's happenings with the gang. In between snippets of conversation, we critique Nicky's performance. Neither of us is prepared when she places a dazzling kick to his solar plexus then watch as the vamp goes flying into the side of the mausoleum. "That was a thing of beauty," Faith beams at Nicky's prowess.

"My protégé," I nod very happy at her progress, then take in Faith's raised eyebrow, "but I'm sure your training helped too," I joke with her. We both know she's worked with all of us to get where she is. Most of the time it's hard to remember she's only 11, the kid is such a dynamo.

Nicky trips over something then falls flat on her face, we both jump up as the vamp approaches her. Rolling on her back, she puts her arms behind her and hand springs to her feet, immediately into a deep crouch. She takes two steps then spins and jump kicks the vamp right in the jaw. "Cool," Faith nods appreciatively.

"She likes to toy with them, just like you," I comment, "not that it's a bad thing."

Faith smiles, "She'll be fine tomorrow, I can feel it."

"You ready then?" I turn to her.

She laughs, "Ken, I've been waiting 11 fucking years for tomorrow, I couldn't get any more ready."

"I hear ya," I look up and watch Nick plunge her stake into the vamp and see the grin take over her face. "And a Slayer is baptized." Faith laughs with me as we both applaud. Nicky bows and makes her way towards us. I once again turn to my best friend, "Faith?"

She looks at me, "Yeah?"

"Don't get wrapped up in the 'ultimate sacrifice' bullshit." I sigh, "You can all get out of there alive. I know you, and I know you'll think of it as an option."

Her stare goes right through me, "I'll do whatever it takes to save my family, Ken, whatever it takes."

"I know Faith, I just mean…"

But she gets up and goes to Nicky, sweeping her up in her arms, "You were amazing sweetpea! Buffy is gonna be so proud of you. Come on, let's get home and tell her all about it."

**BACK PORCH – 12:23 AM**

FAITH'S POV

How can one of those tiny white lights be a planet? And how fucking crazy is it that we'll be on it in 9 hours? I laugh and shake my head.

"Did I miss a joke somewhere?" B's voice cuts through the silence as she pulls my arms tighter around her.

Kissing the back of her head, I laugh again, "No, no joke, at least not the funny kind."

"I get it," she turns in my arms, "it's in the 'the joke is on you again Slayer' kind?" She reads my face then nods, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

I kiss her forehead then lean back, gently rubbing her back, "You ready for this? I know you must be scared."

"What, to die again?" she waves her hand dismissively, "It's become something I'm kinda good at. I know I'm rusty cause I haven't died in a while but I'm sure once I've actually done the whole dying thing it will all come back. What is it, the third time, or fourth if you count the time Warren shot me and I flat lined at the hospital before Will - "

My lips on hers stop the nervous diatribe. She responds instantly, moaning into my mouth as my tongue searches out hers. Her hands snake up to my face then hair, caressing gently. Slowly her arms slip down and under the back of my shirt as she presses me closer to her. Now it's my turn to let a moan escape as her nails trail down my back. I pull back winded then see the tears in her eyes. "Babe?"

"Faith," she bites her lip, "take me to bed?" She searches my eyes, asking me to understand what she's feeling right now and I do. Gods how I do.

Nodding, I wipe the tears from her face then take her hand, "Ok."


	21. No Dominion

**Chapter 21: No ****Dominion**

There's no time for us  
There's no place for us  
What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away from us  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who wants to live forever?  
There's no chance for us  
It's all decided for us  
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who wants to live forever?  
Who dares to love forever?  
When love must die

_Brian May/Queen, "Who Wants to Live Forever"_

**

* * *

NEXT DAY – FRIDAY – EMMA'S ROOM - 8:30 AM**

SOPHIA'S POV

"Breakfast was fun," my nervous laughter fills the quiet room, "Nicky's going to be a real chef one of these days." I'm sitting on Em's bed making stupid small talk as she leans against her desk to put on her steel-toe boots. Everyone woke up early and was downstairs in the kitchen mulling about drinking coffee until Nicky and Andrew made an ungodly huge meal for all of us. We came back up about a half hour ago so Em could take a shower and I could stare at the clock and get freaked out.

Last night we just lay in bed, holding each other. I know she fell asleep a couple of times, but I couldn't, I was too scared to let go. Looking up at her now, I watch as she finishes tying up her laces. Faded Levis, T-Shirt and work boots: you'd think she's off to go hang out with her buddies, not fight the forces of evil in another dimension. Her hair, still damp from the shower, clings to the sides of her face until she mindlessly brushes it away. Taking the NASA watch off her dresser, she puts it on then looks up at me watching her. She smiles then walks over and kneels in front of me, "We better get downstairs." She holds my face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs against my cheeks.

"I know," I reach out to her and bring her close, "I won't say goodbye to you," I murmur against her lips, "I can't." Damn it, I really didn't want to cry.

She kisses me slowly, deeply, as if we have all the time in the world to ourselves. When she pulls away, she wipes my tears and takes my hand, pulling me up to stand. "Then don't, ok?" Her smile warms me and I reach for her again, holding the length of her body next to mine.

"Em, I, I - " I don't even know what I'm trying to say.

She brushes her lips against the side of my face, "Shhh," then squeezes me tight in a bear hug that makes me forget everything for a second. And that's exactly what I need to get my head together.

"Be careful," I whisper in her ear.

Em leans back, "I promise."

"You're coming back," I let my eyes blaze into hers, as if my stare could make it so.

She smiles, "From your lips to the Gods' ears," then she kisses me again.

"Ok," I swallow, "let's go."

**TRIAGE – 9:00AM**

FAITH'S POV

Damn, the four of us look like characters in a really bad girl-power western. Andrew hooked us up with some of Cleveland's Finest holsters for the 9mms and clips. I think he was re-watching his old Lara Croft DVDs or something. Anyway, although it feels a little weird, and we look incredibly ridiculous, especially Nicky, it's functional and beats carrying a duffle or a backpack. We're leaving that up to Em; she insisted on taking a med kit. One more 'just in case' thing, she's probably thinking about Nicky's dreams, so wants to be prepared.

Willow is upstairs in a wicked trance, levitating off the couch in her office. She's been like that for hours, finishing up the spell that will bring us back. I smile over at Ken. She's been at Red's side since the early morning when her witch started the incantations to bring us home, no matter what. She looks pretty beat.

"We cool?" I rest my hand on Ken's shoulder. We didn't talk last night after we got back from the cemetery. Nicky was all kinds of hyped up, then B needed, well, B needed me.

She grins, "You bet; I'm buying the first round at Willy's when you get back."

"But that's not fair," Nicky pouts, "I'm too young to go to Willy's."

Ken crouches down, "Tell you what, I'll get a couple bottles of champagne, and I'll make sure you get a glass."

"Really?" Nick's eyes are as wide as saucers as she looks from B to me.

Buffy laughs, "Half a glass, Nick."

"Cool," my mini Slayer grins then stands between B and Emma, taking each of their hands in hers.

"Remember, Andrew said to start the count on your watches as soon as you get there," Dawn looks at all of us, "Happy hunting."

I look at the clock then straight ahead as Ken, Dawn and Sophia as well as the rest of the room fade away and Emma brings us to the land of the Gods.

**NIBIRU – HOUR 00:00:00**

FAITH'S POV

"Jesus Christ, talk about the middle of fucking nowhere," I marvel at the vast nothingness, as we take a few stumbling steps. "Set your watches... now," we all do then look around again.

Emma takes Nicky's hand and begins to walk away from us, "This way."

"Nice language, Faith," Buffy punches me in the shoulder.

I rub my shoulder and sigh, "They're only words B, Jeeze…" Trudging behind her, I bring up the rear of our little group until we are standing in front of the three sided pyramid.

"Wow," Nicky gasps as she is almost drawn closer by some unseen force. "It's absolutely amazing," she reaches out and touches it. She fans out her hand and lightly glides it over the cuneiform as she closes her eyes. "The possibilities are endless, these are only the most likely," she steps away then looks at me, "I saw - OW" We hear the 'pop' as she crumples to the ground and her forearm erupts into a mass of blood.

Dragging Nicky towards the benches, I stay low and listen as a few more gunshots sound. "B, Em?" I call out.

"We're good," Emma responds as she crawls over to us, "Nick, let me see." She props herself up on one elbow as she inspects the wound. Wiggling the backpack off her shoulders, she opens it and starts to clean Nicky's arm with an antiseptic wipe. "It went right through, that's good," she looks up, "you're gonna be fine, Nick." Em closes her eyes for a moment and chats as she covers Nicky's wound with gauze then wraps it.

"I guess now isn't a good time to suggest body armor, huh?" I mumble, but know they all heard me.

Nicky stiffens then narrows her eyes at Emma, "That's incredible, I mean, like there's hardly pain at all," she regards her partially healed arm then Buffy and I watching them. Her eyes grow large, "That was just like my dream! It was me you were operating on! That's why I couldn't see who it was... only it wasn't operating, your healing spell is just another form of it…"

"Nice trick, Emma," Richard calls out, "will you save them all like that?"

I watch Em close her eyes as his voice resonates across the barren land, then shake it off.

"Shit... Stay here," Emma tells Nicky as she crawls to the end of the circle of benches.

"Ok, he's got an army of vamps out there," she crawls back to us, "It is so weird huh, vampires in the daylight?" She sits back against the pyramid and takes a deep breath, "Well we can't stay here forever, huh? It's time to start fulfilling some prophecies."

Buffy looks at Nicky as she draws her gun, "Stay behind me, ok?" Our little one nods, she's pretty freaked. "When we get to the edge, I want you to use the bench to steady your hand and shoot as many of the bastards as you can. If they get close don't be afraid to use your stake, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Nicky nods again, a slow grin coming to her face as she feels Buffy's trust in her to get the job done.

We didn't really expect to wage a gunfire war, but then we didn't expect to be impaled by javelins in Ebih either. It's been a couple of hours now; thank god we stashed extra rounds with Emma's med kit. So far we've roasted a bunch of Richard's vamps, some have snuck down for some good old fashioned fist fighting, but we took them out pretty quick. Turning around, I can sense them all around us. Almost as soon as I think it, one comes diving into the circle. B jumps him and they both fall to the ground. She doesn't even miss a beat as they roll to a stop and she twists his neck dusting him.

"Nice," I smile at her as I help her up and stand against the pyramid.

She leans against me for a moment, her forehead meeting my lips, as she rests her hands on my waist. She takes a couple of breaths, "They're going to start really coming now."

"I know," I kiss her head quickly then she pulls back.

Emma takes out another two as they made their way towards us then all hell breaks loose as a wave of vamps come spilling out from the small hill north of us into our little haven. Reaching out and grabbing Nicky by the collar, Em pulls Nick behind her as she backs the both of them up into the pyramid. Thank the Gods for Emma.

B and I rush the vamps. I can't see what she's doing but I hear the "poofing" so I know my girl is kicking ass. The one thing that's working in our favor is most of the vamps are newbies so we're taking them out pretty easy. As if on cue, a foot connects with my chin, sending me flying into Em. She pushes me off then blows the vamp away. Nicky runs to Buffy while blasting 3 vamps in row, that's my baby girl!

I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder and a vamp tries to get me in her grip, but I stomp her knee then plunge my stake in her chest as she's going down. Another quickly takes its place but I twirl my trusty stake and slam into his heart through his back. Jumping to my feet, I bounce on my toes waiting for the next one.

"Thank you little girl," Richard sneers as he pulls Nicky's gun from her hand. Fuck, he must have snuck up behind her. "Having fun ladies?" He asks lightly as he inspects the weapon, "Amazing you guys just came up with these."

The other vamps just start to back away and let Richard have his moment. Sweeping my eyes around, B is at the far corner between two vamps with Nicky standing behind her, Emma is still up against the pyramid, and I'm in between them, right in front of Richard. Yeah, I know it's impossible, but I think I can feel my blood boiling. "What, are we gonna rap now?" I step closer to him.

"No," he narrows his eyes at me as he quickly backs away, "I'm going to kill all of you, starting with your _wife,_" he sneers as he spits out the word then turns to Buffy and fires.

You know when everything just stops? It's that whole slow motion thing again, like when I got back from Sanal. B pushes Nicky to the ground as the UV bullet explodes into her chest, throwing her flat on her back.

"BUFFY!" I scream as I run to her, kneeling in the sand by her very still body. I watch the fire encasing her chest die out. I don't know what to do; I keep on looking from her face to the exposed wound of her chest then back again. As I graze my hand over her cheek, she vanishes, leaving only a puddle of blood in the sand before me. I try to take a breath, but it's as if all the air is suddenly gone and I know I'll never breathe right again.

"What kind of magicks are you dealing with now?" Richard is actually wide eyed as I snap my gaze up at him and start to stand. He'd be a fool not to know exactly what I'm going to do right now. Dropping the 9mm, he calls out, "Jacob!" then catches the Uzi thrown to him as he glares at me, "The day is still young. One down, three to go."

Emma was running to Nicky from the second Richard dropped the 9mm. She grabs Nick around the waist as she dives to the ground shielding her with her body. I start toward him then have to duck for cover as he sprays in front of me with machine gun fire.

"Welcome to the end, _Faith_," he spits out, "Today is the day you get to watch your family die one by one. But you must wait your turn," he laughs, "I want to save you for last." He sprays the ground again then disappears, probably back to the hill.

Breathing heavy, I can't believe what just happened, holy shit, he killed Buffy. I watched her die right in front of me. I try to reach out to her with every fiber of my being, but it's gone, our connection is severed. There's no way I can live like this. Jesus, Red, please let that spell work; let it bring her back to you and Sophia. I beg all the Gods I can name to let Sophia bring my baby back. I look at my watch; we've been here nearly 3 hours... 3 fucking hours. I hang my head and yell out, "BUFFY!"

**CLEVELAND - SATURDAY - KITCHEN – 8:00 AM / NIBIRU – HOUR 2:52:30**

DAWN'S POV

Sophia and I are trying to chill, talking over coffee. We're trying not to think about them being gone for a full day. By our calculations 1 day here is only about 3 hours there, so that's not too long, right? At least I slept a little; I don't think she has for two nights now. "How's your mom? Andrew and I were thinking of going back to Barcelona in the fall, we'll drop in and say hey." I try to get our minds on something else.

"That's actually a really funny story," she begins, "I called her earlier. She was asking about how I hadn't been seeing anyone and how lonely I must be… blah, blah right?" She laughs, "Then she starts asking about Faith." She shakes her head, "Dawn, I have no clue what Faith said to her when they met years ago, but my mother worships the ground she walks on."

Laughing, I remember how much my mom liked her too, "She has a kind of thing with parents I guess."

"Exactly, so... well, when I was talking to her this morning, I thought it would be the perfect ice breaker you know?" Soph takes a sip of her coffee.

Shaking my head, "What, I don't get it."

"Well, I told her I was dating Faith's daughter," she grins at me.

My jaw drops to the floor, "Get out!"

"I swear," she laughs.

I roll my eyes at her, "Well??"

"She was fine, kinda scary how ok she was actually. Then she asked the normal questions: what's her name, does she cook, what does she do for a living," she pauses, then, "how old is she." She chuckles at that then shakes her head, "Ladrón de la pesebre..." She takes in my questioning face, "Ken would love to know she called me a cradle robber too, but I don't think we should share that."

I lean back, "That's absolutely hysterical." I can't help but shake my head along with her.

"Yeah, I know." Finishing her cup she gets up for a refill. "You want?"

Waving her off, "Nah, I'm good. I'm going to check my emails."

"Good idea, have a computer I can borrow?" She put a little milk in her coffee.

Knowing Andrew is tracking Nibiru's movements from a secret link to NASA on his, I think for a second, "Sure, use Buffy's." I walk her to Buffy's office and watch as she's a bit awed to sit at Buffy's desk. "Its freaky right?" she nods then looks up at me, "Even Faith gets weirded out when she sits at Buffy's desk."

"Was that always there, that poem?" she points her head at the framed poem to the side of all Buffy's maps and clocks.

I watch her read it over, then she turns to me, "It's absolutely amazing, so raw, so heart-wrenching."

"That's Buffy's favorite stanza of poetry; it's by Dylan Thomas. She's had it up here since we moved in." I look at Sophia curiously, "I'm surprised you never noticed it."

She looks at me then at the poem again, "I guess cause whenever I've been in here, my back is to it."

"Gotta huge point there," I laugh then grow pensive; "In the beginning I used to think it was about Angel, but later realized it was all about Faith." Sighing in wonder at my sister and how much pain she's had to deal with over the years, I continue, "Even though Buffy knew Faith was with the PtB, and that she most likely would never see her again, Buffy knew deep down nothing could separate them on an entirely different level." I sigh again, "They really are amazing."

Sophia nods, "Yeah, they really are." Then both of us look back and read it again:

_And death shall have no dominion._

_Dead mean naked they shall be one_

_With the man in the wind and the west moon;_

_When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,_

_They shall have stars at elbow and foot;_

_Though they go mad they shall be sane,_

_Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;_

_Though lovers be lost love shall not;_

_And death shall have no dominion._

"SOPHIA, SOPHIA!" it's Willow, frantic, on the intercom from triage, "we need you downstairs now. It's Buffy."

We run through the door and head for the basement.

**NIBIRU – HOUR 6:00:00 / CLEVLAND – SUNDAY 9:00 AM**

EMMA'S POV

"Damn it," I pull a crossbow bolt from Nicky's shoulder, "bastards." They moved back up the hill for now. We're all beat, it's been non-stop, they advance, strike, then retreat, like bees or something. "You ok?"

She nods. She hasn't said anything since Buffy... left. She just nods or points her head in the direction of a vamp.

"Nick," I say softly, "it's not your fault. If he didn't take your gun, he would have found another way." I lift up her shirt and clean then patch the wound.

She just bows her head, "I knew it was going to happen, but I couldn't stop it." She starts to cry.

"Shhhh," I gather her up on my lap and hold her close to me.

Faith watches us closely. She hasn't said much either, but she's destroyed every vamp that's come near her. She doesn't even use the 9mm anymore, just the stake. "She's alive," she finally speaks then looks at me and Nicky, "Well, it goes in and out, but I guess that's because Sophia is working on her." She gets up and sits next to us, "Em's right babe, it's not your fault."

"But I - "

Faith closes her eyes and tries to keep whatever handle she has on her control, "Nicky, stop it. Some things can't be changed even if you know what's going to happen ahead of time. Trust me."

"But I saw it and I should have - "

In a movement too fast for me to see, Faith grabs Nicky's face and turns it to her, "I knew Emma was going to be bitten by a vampire." She sighs, then looks at me, "The PtB showed me that, but not the when and where, so what was I gonna do? Say 'hey Em, one day you're gonna get fed on by a vamp?" She takes her hand from Nicky's chin then puts her own face in her hands. "What a fucking mess."

"It's not a mess," I take one of her hands in mine, "Bring Nicky home, I'll take of business here."

Faith looks at me as if I've lost my mind then shakes her head, "No way, we're stronger together; I'm not leaving you alone here."

'_We need to get Nicky out of here' _I send to her.

She nods,_ 'Yeah, I think you're right. It's only gonna get worse. She knows how to get home, right?' _She regards me slowly, '_So, it's you and me babe?'_ Faith smirks.

'_Yeah, we can do it and still get home to our girls.'_ I wink at her then catch her smile.

She narrows her eyes at me, _'Do you love her?'_

'_With everything I got,'_ I nod to her.

Faith smiles at me, _'Good.'_

Though out our entire exchange, Nicky has remained on my lap, leaning her head against my shoulder, "Nick?"

She turns to me, "Yeah?"

"It's time for you to go home. Maybe you can help Sophia and Willow with Buffy?" I try to make it that we are not getting rid of her. You know how kids get.

Nick turns to Faith, "You sure? I can help; I'm not going to get anyone else hurt."

"Hey," Faith runs a finger down Nicky's face, "stop it. I want you to stay with Buffy, help her get better."

She looks at me then Faith, "But the prophecy..."

"You survived a trial. And you spilled your blood." I point to her forearm and shoulder, "You've done enough. It's time to go home."

Again, Nick looks back and forth from Faith to me, "But what about you guys?"

"We'll be along," Faith assures her, "We just need to sort out the loose ends now."

Before she can object further I turn her to me, "Open your heart Nick, reach for Buffy's essence." I look up and see Faith shake her head, "You know, try for Will, it will be stronger right now. Reach out to her Wicca aura."

"You really want me to go?" Nick is almost is tears.

I sweep her up in my arms, "No, we just want you to be safe." She hugs me so tightly I think she's cracked a rib.

"Come here," Faith calls then Nicky jumps up into her arms, "You take care of B and we'll be back soon ok?"

Nicky nods, "Ok."

"You'll be home before you know it," I ruffle her hair then step back, "Just concentrate on Willow. Now go ahead."

I watch as my little sister closes her eyes then disappears.

"Right, so, did we pack anything to eat?" She tries to joke, but I can feel her heart breaking at Nicky's absence, just like mine.

**CLEVELAND – SUNDAY – BASEMENT OR – 2:00 PM / NIBIRU - HOUR 6:37:30**

ANDREW'S POV

Sophia's finally taking a nap on one of the gurneys in triage. Dawn tried to get her to go up to Emma's room and a real bed, but she didn't want to be too far away. Personally, I think she doesn't want to sleep in Em's room without her. And you know what, I don't blame her. After seeing how Buffy came back, I'd be scared if Dawn was there.

I'm watching over Buffy, listening to the whirl of the respirator and the bleeps of the EKG. Buffy's been in and out of cardiac arrest almost as soon as we resuscitated her the first time, but she's finally stable. Sophia said the first 24 hours were going to be touch and go, let me tell you it was. God, I finally learned what the word asystole actually means. How many times has Buffy gone through it? The state of no cardiac electrical activity, hence no contractions of the muscles in the heart and no cardiac blood flow. Slayer or not, how could that tiny body stand so much abuse? But now, between the surgeries Sophia's performed and the spells Willow cast, it looks like she's going to pull through.

We really don't need the others to know someone shot her with a UV bullet. The radiation burns all over her stomach and chest told us that straight away. What it didn't tell us is how it happened or when the others would be back. They've been gone more than 2 days now. It's weird cause you worry if they're ok, but then you know if they weren't ok they'd be back here, like Buffy.

Looking over at her again, I sigh and take my sister-in-law's hand in mine. "Come on Buff, we need you back," I whisper into her fingers then lay my head against her hand. "Dawn's very worried about you," I put her hand back down then arrange her blankets, "She's sleeping now, but didn't leave your side until Sophia said you were stable; neither did Will." I sigh and stand next to her bed, "God Buffy, I need you to wake up, this waiting is killing me," I stop, "yeah probably not the best choice of words but you know what I me - "

"Andy?" a very small, very familiar voice whispers to me, "is she gonna be ok?"

Whipping around, I see her then a huge grin spreads across my face as I stride to her and pick her up in my arms, "Nicky, thank the Gods!"

"Is, is she?" she stutters.

Pulling back from her, I nod, "She's stable now." I look at her as I put her down, taking in the blood stains all over her shirt. "Let me wake up Sophia so she can have a look at you."

"No, I'm ok, Em patched me up," she turns to Buffy and sighs.

Sitting in the chair next to the bed, I pull Nick onto my lap. She easily puts her arms around my neck then leans her head down on my shoulder. Her sadness begins to creep into me until I ask, "What happened there kiddo?"

"Richard is there," she draws closer to me and I tighten my grip on her, "he took my gun from me and… and shot her with it." Then she turns her head into my neck and cries.

Oh my god this poor kid, "He did that to mess with you Nick, it's not your fault." She just cries even harder.

"It's not your fault, Nicky," Sophia's voice lofts to us from where she's standing in the doorway. "He wants you to feel guilty."

Nicky jumps up and wraps her arms around Sophia's waist, doing her best to bury her head in the doctor's stomach, "It happened so quick, then she disappeared." The little one takes a breath, "Faith is very sad, she hasn't talked much. She knows Buffy is hurt really bad." She looks up at Sophia, "They sent me back because they were scared I was gonna get hurt again." Nick pulls away a little, looks to me then back to her, "I think they're going to go after Richard."

"Jesus," Sophia sighs, "Ok, let go back to triage and I'll see what Emma did with these wounds of yours. Then we'll do your screen ok?"

Nicky nods, "Then can I come back here?"

"You bet, right Andy? You'd like the company wouldn't you?"

Smiling at both of them, I sit back in my chair, "Yeah, I'd really like that." They turn to go and I lean my head back against the top of the chair. "Well, Buff, two of you are back and two more days to go," sighing, I run my hands through my hair.

"It was really weird," I can hear them talking in the triage room next door, "you know, jumping by myself. I saw a lot of things, but I don't really understand it all."

Sophia's voice is soothing, "When Willow and Dawn get up, you should tell them everything you can remember, ok?"

"Ok," Nicky agrees, "I feel kinda stupid though cause I got lost."

The shock is clear, "What do you mean 'lost?'"

"Well, I was reaching for Willow's essence because I couldn't hold onto Buffy's." Nick stops for a second, "Well, at first it was ok, then there was a… like a short, a hiccup, and I was in this dirty room with some weird looking guy and Willow was there, but she was very young – younger than Emma. He was a bad man, Sophia, he kept on calling her 'Strawberry' then he… he took her magic then he hurt her. Did that really happen? And why did he feel like Emma?"

I hear Sophia push out a breath, "Yeah, that really happened, many years ago in Sunnydale. His name was Rack, Nick. He was, oh boy," she sighs, I'm sure not knowing if she should even be telling Nicky this story, "he was a very powerful witch, the son of Ereshkigal and Emma's uncle. That's why it felt like Emma, they share the same magic."

"Oh, that makes sense," she says softly, "cause after he made Willow faint the Goddess came and took me away from there. She guided me back to the way here." They are both quiet for a moment then Nicky begins again, "She told me to tell you something, but I don't understand it."

There's a pause, then I hear something I never have in the 21 years I've known Sophia: her voice waver, "W-what did she tell you?"

"She said: 'Death shall have no dominion,' what does that mean?"

Sophia's silence is deafening.

**NIBIRU –HOUR 11:52:30 / CLEVELAND TUESDAY 8:00 AM**

FAITH'S POV

We're at the base of the hill, out of breath and completely exhausted. Emma just finished cutting the leg of my jeans off and is now taking out the bullets imbedded in my thigh. Fucking Richard and his god damn Uzi.

He was angry that Nicky wasn't here. It's obvious he doesn't like not being in control of the situation. Em and I think we're doing ok with the whole 'Trials of Blood' thing as we've been bleeding all over this fucking planet. But we both feel there is something more to it. It can't be that we just come here to fight an army of vamps, can it? It seems so anti-climatic in a way.

"You ok?" Em finished with the bandages and is now staring at me.

Nodding, "Yeah, just trying to figure out his game." I look at my leg then back up at her, "We don't have much time left babe, we should jump back before Andy-boy pushes the button, ya know?"

"Yeah, about that…" she trails off.

I shake my head, "Don't even think about it Em, I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Faith," she says my name with so much resignation, "I have to stay and you know it, you feel it. Don't tell me you don't." She searches my eyes, "Something else is going on here: more than the vamps, more than the blood we're spilling here."

Taking a breath, I run my fingers through my hair, "But Andrew's going to knock the planet out of its orbit, you can't stay here."

"The planet won't explode or anything, just be shaken, like an earthquake or something, I don't know, I might be wrong but I don't think so," she narrows her eyes at me, "Nicky needs both her parents Faith, so you staying is out of the question."

Shaking my head again, I know what she's saying is right, but I just can't leave her here, "How do you expect me to go Em? I can't - "

A shot rings out and strikes the ground next to where Em is kneeling in front of me. She scrambles next to me and leans against the boulder, "Is your little _sister_ safe at home with that pretty _girlfriend_ of yours Emma darling?"

"Fuck you Richard," she shouts out bringing a smile to my lips.

He laughs for a moment, "Really, would you like that my dear? I thought I wasn't your _type._" He chuckles at his own joke, "Oh Emma darling, even if you do make it out of here, you'll always live with the fact that I had her first. And she was _delicious_. How does that make you feel?"

"Mother fucker," she starts to stand, but I pull her back down.

I turn her to me, "Chill, don't let him bait you." She pushes out a breath then nods.

"I wonder if that little Canadian would be as sweet." Richard ponders, "Maybe it's time to find out, yeah? What to do you think, Faith?"

My eyes harden when I think of him feeding on Nicky, "Never gonna happen, _Dick_."

"Good God, you Americans are so callous," he sneers, then laughs heartily, "Never say 'never' Faith."

With that, both Em and I look at each other then stand up and turn to the top of the hill. Richard waves to us then disappears with his Wicca. Fuck me, they're going back to Cleveland, I know it.

"Go," Emma shakes me out of my thoughts, "he's going to do something to Nick; you have to stop him."

Knowing she's right, I bring her into a hug and swallow, "Be careful, Em."

"I will be," she hugs me tightly.

Trying to keep it together and not think about the fact that I'm leaving her alone here, I whisper in her ear, "You better be home soon or Buffy, Nicky _and_ Sophia are all gonna kick my ass."

"You got it," she pulls back, "If there's a way back; I'll find it."

**NIBIRU –HOUR 12:00:00 / CLEVELAND TUESDAY 9:00 AM**

EMMA'S POV

I watch as Faith vanishes just as the vamps on the hill make their next charge down towards me. Putting in a fresh clip, I pick a few off then look at my watch as the alarm sounds. I glance around then back to the vamps, waiting, waiting, nothing, fuck! I guess Andrew's satellite thing didn't work. Suddenly the vamps stop and look around as if they smell something in the air. Then there's a huge crashing noise that reverberates right through my body. The ground begins to move and bits of the hill start to tumble down on me. I know, I think to myself, I never should have doubted Andrew, as I dive out of the way.


	22. The Long Way Home

**A/N:**

**Well, here it is... the last episode of CIS. I really hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. This was quite a cathartic experience for me and I thank you all for your comments and support throughout. I cannot tell you how much it is appreciated. An epilogue will follow...**

**Once again, many thanks!**  
**CB**

**

* * *

Chapter 22: The Long Way Home**

Does it feel that your life's become a catastrophe?  
Oh, it has to be for you to grow, boy.  
When you look through the years and see what you could  
Have been oh, what might have been,  
If you'd had more time.  
So, when the day comes to settle down,  
Who's to blame if you're not around?  
You took the long way home  
You took the long way home

_Supertramp, "Take the Long Way Home"_

**

* * *

CLEVELAND - TUESDAY– TRIAGE– 11:00 AM / NIBIRU – HOUR 12:15:00**

NICKY'S POV

They should have been back two hours ago. Everyone is worried, but no one is saying anything. They don't need to. Andrew hasn't left his office since he did his thing with the computers. Kennedy was out all night Slaying with Jen, Liz and Claudine cause the vampire activity here has skyrocketed since we made the jump to Nibiru, so she's sleeping right now. Finally, Sophia, Willow and Dawn are with Buffy; she still hasn't woken up. I heard them talking earlier; she went into cardiac arrest again. Sophia said it weakens her heart every time that happens.

And me, well, I'm just sitting on a gurney waiting for Faith and Emma. I don't want to be in anyone's way so I'm just going to stay here until they come back. Cause they have to come back, right? Then my slow tears become sobs and I breakdown and cry: I want Buffy to be ok; I want Faith and Emma to come home; I want my family back. I stay like this for what seems forever, but it's only a few minutes. I know that cause when I hear something drop on the floor I look up and see that it's now 11:07.

A little scared, I slowly turn around but see nothing. Then I look on the floor and see Faith in a crumpled heap. "SOPHIA! COME IN HERE QUICK!" I yell out as I run to her, cradling her head in my lap. "It's ok, you're home now," I stroke the hair away from her face as the three of them race in.

"Faith," Sophia quickly scans the room for Emma then kneels down to her only patient, "Will?"

Willow comes over and lays her hands on Faith's unconscious body, "She's ok, no internal bleeding."

"Ok," Sophia picks her up and places her on the gurney I was occupying not two minutes ago, "let's get her cleaned up and screened."

Dawn takes my hand and starts to lead me away but I rip it from her grasp, "I'm not leaving."

"Nicky…"

Sophia cuts away the rest of Faith's jeans, "Hey Nick, why don't you go up to their room and get a change of clothes for Faith ok?"

"Ok, but just like boxers and tank top, right?" I ask, knowing that's all Buffy is wearing.

Sophia grins at me, "That would be perfect."

"Nicky," Faith breathes out.

Running to her, "I'm here, Faith," once again I brush her hair away from her face, "I'm right here." I can't help it as I start to cry.

"Hey," she finally opens her eyes, "I'm ok, really. I just got kinda knocked around when I jumped, I - I got lost."

I smile at her, "I got lost too. Did the Goddess find you and help you to get home?"

"Yeah, Nick, she did." She breathes out then closes her eyes, "Red, can you get Ken down here?"

Not questioning why, Willow goes upstairs. Dawn is leaning against the door jam, "Good to have you back Faith, Buffy's going to feel it; it will help."

"How is she?" Faith asks, "I kept losing my connection to her when I was jumping, that's how I got lost."

Sophia takes the bandages off her leg revealing a connect-the-dots maze of gun shot wounds, "God Faith." Soph carefully inspects the wounds then holds Faith's gaze, "She was stable for a couple of days, but went in cardiac arrest again this morning. That's why you were losing the connection." Sophia looks at her intently, "We'll get her stable again, don't worry." She smiles, "Now what about you? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

"Nah, just tired. Em patched me up good," then she looks at Sophia, "she wanted, well needed to stay, but she'll find a way home. I know she will."

Sophia sighs then shakes her head wearily, "Right, should be easy for a superhero." She shakes her head again then throws the bloodied bandages on the floor and starts to clean Faith's wounds.

"Sophia…" Faith slowly sits up taking in her body language, "Look, Sophia she really lo- "

Sophia closes her eyes, "Don't Faith," she lets out a breath as she rests both of her hands on the gurney, "I know, ok, I know." Then she continues to clean Faith's wounds. "It just doesn't make it any easier right now."

"Hey, Nick, can you get those clothes for me now?" Faith asks, "I think I'm gonna shower down here."

I nod and leave. I'm not stupid; I know they're going to have a grown up conversation. And the way they're acting; it's not going to be a nice one.

**NIBIRU – HOUR 15:45:00 / CLEVELAND - WEDNESDAY – 3:00 PM**

EMMA'S POV

When I open my eyes I find I'm lying under a good portion of the hill. I'm stiff and damp, must be from the dirt and sand. As I pull myself out from the pile on top of me, I sit to catch my breath. That's when I realize the dampness is from blood. I have cuts and gashes all over me not to mention I've been squished under the rumble for the past, I look at my watch, SHIT, close to 4 hours. No wonder I feel so...

I don't know how long she's been there. But when I look up, the goddess is staring down at me. "Are you alright?" She helps me stand.

"I feel... strange," how about some applause for the understatement of the century?

She nods, "Your friends are very resourceful."

"You like that?" I laugh, then grimace as I stand up straight, "Andrew is the _man_."

Regarding me slowly, she tilts her head to the side, "The prophecy is nearly fulfilled. Each of you has stood trial and spilled your blood into the sacred plains. There is but one more trial to be endured, however, it is not one to be taken lightly." She smiles as she backs away from me, "Bonus fortuna." Then she's gone.

"Right," I laugh to myself, "'Good luck' cause I'm going to need it huh?" Resting against the remains of the pyramid, I silently curse because the med kit is under the pile I crawled out of. "Luck," I snicker.

Once again, I lose track of time, but open my eyes when a shiver runs down my spine. I look up to see Richard walking towards me in the distance. His witch stays behind, in the background, not venturing near me. I try to reach her telepathically, but she shuts me down. Now he's standing in front of me, "You've certainly looked better Emma darling."

"Are you gonna kill me or just annoy me to death?" I'm just so very tired.

He comes nearer, reaching over to lift my chin, "You look exhausted, my dear." He pauses then regards me slowly, "I can still remember what it is to be bone wearily tired. All those years at the mill," leaning next to me against the pyramid, he sighs. "Grinding grain into flour with a stone mill 10 hours a day is no one's idea of fun. Life before electricity was not as romantic as films portray."

"So like Faith said, 'Are we gonna rap now?'" I can't help but laugh at myself; I'm a bit delirious I think.

He narrows his eyes at me, "Do you have to sink to a level below you?" He straightens his jacket and runs a hand through his hair. "I've been watching you since you were born, Emma. Your strength has grown so much since then. I felt your power when you destroyed the Coven members who killed your parents."

"I'm not talking about them with you," I clench my jaw and push my hands into my front pockets.

Smiling, he leans close to me, "It felt good killing them didn't it? You don't need to answer; I knew what you were feeling. I could taste it in your tears that evening." He takes in my shocked expression, "Yes, I was there, how do you think you got to the Coven Elder? You were in shock, my dear. I carried you there, wrapped in my arms."

"You are full of shit," there is no way I'm going to believe this.

His grin widens as he takes my hand from the pocket of my jeans, "Don't be alarmed," he coos to me as he intertwines his hand in mine, "Feel my memory, go ahead." And I do, _'In the twilight I see through his eyes, a child, me, standing in front of what used to be my house. The members of the Coven have been disintegrated, there is nothing left but the clothes they once wore..._

"Stop it," I wrench my hand from his, "what do you want from me, you undead stalker?"

Richard brings me close, "I don't _have_ to kill you, you need only say yes and all worlds can be ours. I've waited so long for this, you are ready now."

"Ready… ready to what, becoming a soul-less fiend cursed to walk the Earth for all eternity?" I shake my head, "Have you lost your mind?"

He comes nearer to me again, "You must choose it for it to be so."

"It's not going to happen," too exhausted to move, I close my eyes against his thrall.

Feeling his breath on my neck, he murmurs, "I know you want this," then his teeth break my skin and once again I feel the torrents of blood moving from my body. With my right hand still in my pocket, I feel for the only thing that will stop this madness. I grasp it and slowly take it out. Knowing I don't have the strength to stake him properly, I plunge it into the soft skin of his neck. There's blood everywhere, mine, his; he spits it onto the sand as he grasps his wound. "Fucking ungrateful bitch! I would have given you immortality!"

"Only fools want to live forever," I manage to mumble out as I fall to my knees, "and you have no clue what I want." My voice is now almost a whisper.

Camille runs to him. She puts her arm around him as she leads him away. I watch them until they disappear, no doubt jumping somewhere to recuperate.

As I lay on the sand, hurt, tired, weak, I watch my blood as it seeps into the earth and vanishes. My last conscious thought: Now Nibiru is drinking my blood.

**CLEVELAND – THURSDAY – LIVING ROOM – 10:00 PM / NIBIRU - HOUR 19:37:30**

FAITH'S POV

Sophia and I mended our fences over the last couple of days. She wasn't really angry with me or even Emma for that matter. The argument that ensued after my return was born of frustration, worry and love. I understand completely, cause I feel the same way. So we are chilling in the living room, having a drink, just us. Dawn and Andrew just took Nicky up to bed. Will is on Buffy-watch and Ken is on patrol.

"Want another?" I ask as I pour myself a second.

She thinks for a moment, "A small one, I have to check on Buffy again in a few minutes."

"Does it mean anything that she hasn't woken up yet?" I look at her expectantly, like I haven't asked her the same question every day, "I mean does it mean anything bad?"

Soph sighs and indulges me, "Not necessarily bad… but not necessarily good either." She looks up at me and rolls her eyes, "I'm not trying to be evasive on purpose. It's just that, yeah, for a Slayer, she should have woken up by now; for a regular person she should be dead, so it's that huge gap in between that we're dealing with."

"What does your gut tell you?" I venture.

Shaking her head, she sighs, "That's not fair, Faith. I really don't know, and I won't guess. Let's just take it one day at a time, slow and steady, no?

"Ok," I sulk for a minute then look up at her, "Can you still feel her?" I stopped using Emma's name the day I got back. It seems to upset everyone a little less. I wonder if they did that when I was gone…

She nods, "She's not dead, I…" Sophia looks down, then back up at me, "I feel her… far away. She's weak and hurt but she's alive." She dips her head again then sips her bourbon, "When Nicky came back, the Goddess gave her a message for me." Meeting my gaze, she continues, "She said, 'Death shall have no dominion.'"

"Like B's poem?" I can't believe it; how would Ereshkigal know about that?

Sophia nods, "Right before Buffy came back, Dawn and I were in Buffy's office and I noticed it." She drains her glass then closes her eyes and softly asks, "Do you think it really means Emma's going to die, or was she just being cryptic?"

"Shit, it could mean anything." You know, I've never really been close with Sophia, she was always more friendly with B and Dawn. These last couple of days made me realize how much I don't know this woman Emma fell in love with. Sure, I know her, even hung out with her family in Barcelona for a week one time years ago, but I don't _really_ know her, not like Vi or Rona. She's really struggling with this, not that we all aren't but I can tell she's really hurting now. Getting up, I move to sit next to her, "Ereshkigal's been helping us all along the way," I put my arm around her and give her a squeeze, "I can't help but think she's trying to reassure you in some way." Just like I can't help but feel Richard told us he was going after Nicky only to get Emma alone on Nibiru.

She jumps then turns to me a bit startled, "Something happened to her, in a really not good way." She's about to say something else when the house alarms go off. Both of us jump up and run to Dawn & Andrew's office. Looking at the floor plan she tracks the blinking lights, "Fuck, it's the basement," then runs after me as I rush downstairs.

When I hit the bottom of the steps I hear scuffling then find Nicky fighting a room full of vamps in the mini OR. Where the hell is Willow? Not having time to think about that now because there's so many, I can't understand how they got in here. I grab one and twist her neck, dust. Then I hear Sophia, "Faith," she throws me a stake, damn, I'm liking this chick more and more by the second. It takes me a while to get to B cause they're all fucking over the place, but when I do all her hook ups have been severed. FUCK! Quickly staking two more, I look up to see my little girl stomp a vamp's knee then stake him as he leans down, cool, she's holding her own.

Sophia is trying to get in between the remaining vamps and Nicky, gently ushering her away from the fray. When one of the undead bastards makes a move for my kid, Sophia drop kicks him to the head then plunges a stake in heart. Yeah, I can see what Em sees in her. Feeling Buffy's pulse, I see it's weak, but steady, so I move to the last vamps. That is, I try to move, until I'm pinned to the wall. Looking around, I realize so are Nicky and Sophia.

"Are you quite finished with the estrogen display?" Richard comes into the room with Camille at his heels. She's chanting so, yeah, no surprise, it's a spell. How it got through all of Andy's security, I have no clue.

Taking in the sight of his blood-stained clothes and the healing gash on his neck, I start to chuckle, "Did my girl do that Dicky-boy?"

"Bitch," he grabs my face in his hand, "how dare you laugh at me," he seethes.

Acknowledging that pride is his weakness, I continue, "Even injured and weak she still got the better of you didn't she?"

"Silence," he backhands me across the face, "She's a very short-sighted young woman who will now not live through the night." He turns around, "It's your other _daughter _I'm interested in right now." He walks over to Nicky as she scowls at him. "Hello little one," he strokes the side of her face; "you and I are going to get to know each other _very_ well." He takes a scalpel in his hand and runs the dull side down her face.

Sickened by the intonation of his words; I glance at Sophia then Nicky. Mindful of the Wicca, I send Nick a quick thought _'With all you got, free Sophia,'_

Nick sends me back _'Ok,'_ then looks at Camille, trying to see if she 'heard' us.

She looks back to me then I send _'Now.'_

Realizing she's free, but not making a move, Sophia looks at me questioningly. I look over to Camille then back to her. Sophia nods then reaches her hands to the sides of the Wicca's face and snaps her neck. The little Goth witch crumples to the floor when Sophia lets go. The Spaniard begins to advance on Richard.

"Camille!" Richard screams. Knowing we will all be able to move soon, he throws the scalpel at Sophia's head then grabs Nicky in his arms.

Sophia turns her head quickly, but the blade still cuts though her cheek to her ear. It's a lot of blood, but it's not deadly.

"You will pay dearly for this Faith, starting with this one," he sinks his teeth into my baby's neck and I'm about to pounce on him when he disintegrates.

Nicky falls to the floor, so does B, right behind her, stake in one hand, drawing Nicky into her with the other, "Jesus, he talked too much," she croaks out. Buffy nuzzles into Nicky's head, "You ok honey?"

"I love you so much," Nicky turns and buries her head in B's shoulder as she begins to cry.

B smiles and leans her head on top of Nicky's. She winces as she pulls our little girl closer to her, then lets out a breath, "I love you too, babe."

**NIBIRU – HOUR 23:37:30 / CLEVELAND SATURDAY 6:00 AM**

EMMA'S POV

I'm cold, so incredibly cold. There's no sound here, no wind, no trees, no animals... it's just dead, lifeless, except for me. And hey, I'm barely alive, so I'll fit right in soon. If I'd have to hazard a guess, I'd say: massive internal bleeding, multiple concussions, untold contusions and lacerations, probably a few broken bones. I also think hypothermia is starting to set in, great. Yeah, it's perfect conditions for an inter-dimensional jump. "Get the fuck up Emma," I mumble to myself as I crawl to the pyramid.

Leaning against the cold stone, I know I need to get back, get home. Pushing out a breath, I close my eyes and remember the feel of Sophia's arms around me. I try to immerse myself in the memory of her body flush against mine, her warmth, her softness, her smell. I reach out to grasp her essence, to take hold of that part of her which I've claimed as mine. The pull is thankfully strong and I gladly surrender to it.

It's hard to concentrate, I feel like my body is being pulled apart from the inside. When I finally arrive at the world of all possibilities, I'm shown the trials have ended. We won, the dimensions will not implode and my family is safe. Relieved, I try to continue but my weariness is now complete. As I feel myself start to drift, I sense someone take my hand and begin to lead me away. That's the last thing I remember before I close my eyes: my hand feeling so small in the Goddess', almost like a child's.

**CLEVELAND - - SATURDAY– BASEMENT WEAPONS ROOM – 9:27 AM**

KENNEDY'S POV

Claudine and I got back from another all night patrol a little after daybreak. We had a quick breakfast while we did our debriefing. The other Slayers had gone to sleep when the meeting broke up, leaving Claud and I to stow the guns and account for the ammo used this, once again, productive evening.

Demon and vamp activity had gone out of control almost the second Faith, Buffy and the girls jumped to Nibiru. As each one came back, it lessened, now we're just waiting for Emma. She's been gone for more than a week now and we're all worried. Sophia says she's alive, but hurt, and getting weaker by the day. Poor Sophia, I shake my head as I think about what she must be going through. Buffy tried to tell me what it was like to 'feel' Faith when she was in another dimension. How she knew when Faith was injured or on her way home. It must be so incredibly frustrating.

Claud and I have been working silently, lost in our own thoughts, so it's easy to hear the footsteps coming down the stairs and towards us. Looking up, I see Willow come in. "Good morning," I smile at her.

"Good morning," she hands us both a mug, "I brought you guys some more coffee. Andrew said you two got stuck with the log-duty."

Claudine drinks her entire cup down then laughs, "There's not enough coffee in the world to keep me awake right now," she shakes her head, "but thanks for the thought Willow." She looks over to me, "Can I finish this later? I'm beyond beat."

"Go, I'll finish up," I clap my hand on her back, "you did enough tonight and I have well-rested assistant right here," I point to Will, "so go get some sleep."

Nodding her thanks, Claud makes her way to the stairs.

"What can I do to help?" Will comes over to me.

Finishing my coffee, I pick up the clipboard, "I'm actually almost done." I start to write down the last of the inventory counts then sigh, "How's Buffy? I'll bet she's psyched to be back in her own room."

"She's good, still in a lot of pain, but Sophia says that's going to take some time." Will comes closer and encircles my waist from behind, laying her head against my shoulder. "They're up there now getting her settled from the move." She pulls me closer, "You look so tired babe, this can wait, you need to sleep."

Putting down the inventory list, I turn in her arms, "All done," then lean in to give her a kiss, "I'm all yours." As I lean in for another, I hear a crash. We pull apart, "Stay here," I take a gun then slam a fresh clip in as I run out. After checking each classroom, I slowly make my way to triage and find the instrument table overturned. Carefully walking in, I look behind the mess and see Emma face down, unconscious, bleeding all over the floor. "WILLOW - COME HERE NOW!"

"Are you alrig - "she stops short then runs to Em, putting her hands over Em's back, "She's alive... let me..." She closes her eyes and begins to chant under her breath. "Ok, I stopped the bleeding." She stands and looks over to me, "Get her on the gurney, let's clean her up a bit then get Sophia."

Emma's clothes are basically blood soaked rags barely hanging on her. Her shoes are gone and she's a mess of blood and dirt. As Will starts to clean her up, I start for the door, "I'm going to get Sophia; I'm amazed she's not down here already."

As I'm running into the kitchen from the basement stairs, Sophia is running towards me, "Where is she?" she pants out as she grabs my shoulders.

"Triage," I reply, then quickly add, "Will did some spells and is cleaning her up now."

She turns to move past me, but I hold her arm. Sophia furrows her brow as she searches my eyes, "What?"

"I just want to prepare you, it looks worse than it is," I reach up and rub her shoulder as she closes her eyes and nods, "Go ahead, I'll tell the gang."

**LATER THAT NIGHT – TRIAGE– 11:03 PM**

EMMA'S POV

The very first thing I realize when I wake is Sophia is near; the second is that I'm in triage. Turning my head to see where she is, my eyes slam shut and I stop cold when shooting pains course through my entire body, I groan out. She's there in an instant, lightly running her hand through my hair, "Shhh, don't move, baby."

"Mmmm," I'm loving the feel of her fingers through my hair, "if you keep that up I'll love you forever," I whisper. My voice is pretty much shot, so it comes out all soft and raspy.

I can feel the smile come to her lips, "You promise?"

"Yeah," I slowly open my eyes, "I promise." Taking in her smile, I give her one of my own then close my eyes again briefly. While mustering up the strength to speak again, I take in how exhausted she is as well as the healing gash under her eye. I look at her and venture, "Rough day at the office, honey?"

She laughs her easy laugh then nods, "Action packed couple of days here, but everyone's ok now, that's the important thing." Running the back of her hand down the side of my face, she leans closer to me, "See? I told you you were coming back."

"Yeah, you did," I lean up to close the short distance between us and capture her lips in a kiss. There are unbelievable waves of pain pulsing through my back, neck and stomach, but I don't care. After everything that's happened, one kiss isn't going to kill me now.

Pulling back and gently helping me rest my head on the pillow, Sophia smiles, "You need to rest. Willow did her thing then I took care of the rest, but you need to relax and let your own healing work now." She pulls the sheet back up around my broken and I just realize nude body.

"Too bad I was unconscious the first time you got me naked, I was kinda hoping we could have done that together," I waggle my eyebrows, then immediately regret it as bolts of pain throb in my head.

She laughs then shakes her head as she once again runs her fingers through my hair, "Actually, Willow and Kennedy got you naked, baby. I was with Buffy when you got back." She leans down and kisses my forehead, "So we're still on for the together thing, ok?"

"Ok," I smile then close my eyes, "tired."

Sophia strokes my face, "Sleep then, I'll be right here."

**MEANWHILE UPSTAIRS IN BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 11:58 PM**

BUFFY'S POV

"So she's ok?" I look up expectantly at Faith as she closes our door.

Faith grins, "Yeah, Sophia said Em woke up for a couple of minutes then went back to sleep." She fiddles with the band-aid on her arm as she sits next to me, "She was lucid, so should be fine." My baby rubs her hand up and down my thigh, "How are you feeling?"

"Still in shock," I rest my hand over hers and squeeze, "I can't believe we did it," then I laugh, "I can't believe I died... again, Jesus, how embarrassing."

She gives me a sad smile then gets up and begins to undress for bed, "Yeah, didn't like that part." Throwing her clothes on the floor, she slides into bed and cautiously lays her head against my shoulder. Damn burns, it still hurts to touch. Sophia said it would probably take another week or so to heal properly. But if we're _really_ careful, we can snuggle. She rests her hand on my hip, slowly stroking it with her thumb.

"Hey," I place a kiss on the side of her head, "I always come back right?" Seeing she's not playing along, I push a bit, "I'm really just like a bad penny!"

That gets some dimples action, "B there's nothing bad about you."

"You worried it's not over?" I look into her eyes.

She kisses my shoulder then shakes her head, "No, I know it's over... for now."

"Then what's the what?"

She strokes my hair and sighs, "I know I should be happy it's all done and we made it out with our lives, but I can't help thinking how long is 'now' going to last this time."

"I know," I kiss her head again as I run my fingers through her hair, "That thought is always in the back of my head too. I know it's escapist, but let's just try not to think about it, ok? Promise me we can just live for while?" Oh the hell with the pain, I think as I gather her more fully into my arms, "I just want to love you and the girls and live our lives together. Is it too much to ask the fucking Gods and PtB to get let us be happy together?"

Faith stares into space for a moment then looks at me and smiles, "We wouldn't know what do to with ourselves."

"Yeah?" I graze my lips against hers as I hold her face to mine, "I have a few ideas."

FIN


	23. EPILOGUE

**A/N 1: A huge thank you to Faith-Rulz for taking time out of her insanely demanding last year at Vet school to Beta this epic for me and be my sounding board for both the fic as well as my crazy life. I owe you many drinks!**

**A/N 2: Yes, I am a big wuss and there was no major character death. I really had a plan, but in the end, just couldn't do it. There is so much sadness and senseless death in RL, why should I write it in a fic? I'd much rather write about good narrowly triumphing over evil, the characters we adore persevering over tremendous odds… and of course the girl getting the girl so they can live happily ever after ;-)**

**A/N 3: Another sequel?? Wow, I don't know about that, guys. Tell you what, I'll think about it. For now, I leave you with this…**

**Once again many thanks**  
**CB**

**

* * *

EPILOGUE**

In the clearing stands a boxer,  
And a fighter by his trade  
And he carries the reminders  
Of every glove that laid him down  
And cut him till he cried out  
In his anger and his shame,  
"I am leaving, I am leaving."  
But the fighter still remains

_Simon & Garfunkel – "The Boxer"_

**

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER – THURSDAY - 31st OCTOBER 2024**

**KITCHEN – 7:30 AM**

DAWN'S POV

It's been months, but Andrew is still beating himself up about how Richard and his team of vamps got past his security systems and into the house. He personally feels responsible for Nicky getting bitten. He completely reworked the entire system weaving some of Willow's most intricate spells along with DNA samples of everyone we deemed appropriate to enter the house. Clem almost cried when Andrew thought twice about adding his sample in. After finally ending his kitten-poker playing days for good, he and Nicky have gotten even closer these last months if that's at all possible. My husband finally relented when Nicky literally begged Andrew on her knees.

"Hey," I get up and give him a kiss as he walks in, tired and weary from again working all night, "I was just going to bring you another cup of coffee."

Andrew goes to the pot, "S'ok, I got it."

"You have to stop this babe," I walk over to him and rest my hand on his back, "nobody blames you except you. You fixed the security screen, everyone's ok." I wrap my arms around his waist and lean into his back, "Your broodiness is making everyone crazy."

He sighs, "I just want to be sure nothing can get though," he turns to me, "What if one of them died? What if you were down there when they came? What if I lost you because I was too cocky to think they couldn't get past the first barrier?"

"Babe," so that is what this is all about, "Everyone's ok, including me," I smile up at him, "Haven't you learned anything since you were our "guest-age"? When it's your time, no one can do anything about it," I reach up and pull his mouth down to mine, "not even the smartest, sexiest man at Slayer Central."

He allows my lips to cover his own and I'm just about to deepen the kiss when he pulls away, "Hey! I'm the ONLY man at Slayer Central!" He gives me a hard stare.

"Yeah, you're that too," I wink at him as I give him a sheepish grin.

We sit for a while and just drink our coffee until he whispers, "Dawn, if Buffy hadn't woken up I never would have - "

"Ok, you really need to stop," I put my hand over his, "Richard had been planning this for freaking centuries, damn it. He had almost half the millennia to work out how to do this. He had a hard-on for Faith and Emma years before they even existed. There was absolutely nothing you could have done." I stop then sigh, "Honey, he charted their every movement from the second they were born: one to terrorize for fun, the other to be part of his sick fantasy. He had a hand in so many of the awful things that happened just to fuck with Faith's head and to try and draw Emma to him. He was a sick bastard."

He nods but I see I'm still not getting through.

"Andrew, you read the rest of Ian's diaries as well as the ones of the many witches that accompanied him over the years." When Ken and Claudine's team found, then raided Richard's apartment last month, they had no idea of the treasure trove of information they would yield. Willow and I are still going though some of the volumes. "Andy, please..."

Nicky picks that moment to walk in, "Good morning Dawn, ANDY! I haven't seen you in ages!" She jumps up on his lap and throws her arms around his neck. "I missed you! You're always in your office and you look so busy, I didn't want to disturb you."

"Hey, Nicky," he can't help but return her hug, she loves him so fiercely and he easily reciprocates like the man he is, so unashamed to love, "I missed you too." I can see he has tears in his eyes but he hides it by rubbing his face in her neck. "Wanna cook dinner with me tonight?"

Her eyes get huge, "Yeah! What are we making?"

"How about a nice turkey tenderloin with some roasted potatoes and broccoli? We need to fill you up before you go on your quest for tricks and treats!"

I leave them there together, to reconnect, to bond and to just enjoy each other. Now that Nicky has Andrew in her clutches; he won't go back into his shell. He'll realize it's not his fault now, Nicky will show him the way.

**LIVING ROOM – 10:32 AM**

WILLOW'S POV

It's fun having a pet again, I think to myself as I watch Nicky and Clem on the floor playing with the two kittens she brought home from Steve's last month: Julian and Lillie. She got a hold of Andrew's old 'Kindred: The Embraced' DVD's and well, how can you tell a mini Vampire Slayer not to name her kittens after vampire lovers from an obscure 1990's TV show?

Feeling hands on my shoulders, I turn around to Ken crouching down behind me, "Hey babe," she kisses me quickly then motions her head to Nicky and her furry beasts, "Enjoying the day off watching Wild Kingdom here?" Ken always cancels classes on Halloween; it's like our official unofficial holiday.

"Yeah, I so knew Buffy would cave as soon as she saw them," I smile then lean my head next to hers, "They're cute, aren't they, Nick and Clem with the kittens?"

Looking up at both of us Clem has a smile a mile wide, "Who knew they could be so much fun to play with, like not as currency?"

Ken laughs as she nuzzles the back of my head, "Very," putting her arms around my neck and pulling me close, she kisses the side of my face, "So are you."

"Emma's gonna be so psyched when she gets home and sees them," Nicky looks up at us, "Hey Ken."

My sweetie gets up and joins me on the couch, "Hey, Nicky. You're right, Em will be excited, she was always moaning and groaning about having a cat or a dog."

"When is she coming back? They've been gone for ages already!" Nicky whines.

I laugh, cause she asks almost every day, "Not until Thanksgiving, Nick, you know that."

"But that's too long," she pouts then both kittens pounce onto her lap. She scoops them up and cuddles them close, "I miss her a lot, I miss both of them a lot. I want them to come back."

Smiling at her then taking Ken's hand in mine, I sigh, "They will, Nick, they'll be back before you know it. They have stuff they need to work out."

"I know, I just miss them is all," she lies down sulking and lets the kittens romp over her.

**MEANWHILE AT THE HOTEL ALBA IN SITGES, SPAIN – 4:52 PM**

EMMA'S POV

The afternoon sun is casting a shadow across the room. You can hear the streets start to hum with the bustle of the shopkeepers starting to open again as Siesta time is coming to a close. The most wonderful of Spanish customs: Siesta, where businesses close down from 1:30 to 5:00 every afternoon. We spent the day at the beach, had an incredible lunch then came back to the room for our own private Siesta.

I woke up about 10 minutes ago but Sophia is still napping. She's lying on her back, her hair splayed out on her pillow, one arm wrapped around me, the other laying by her side. My eyes drink in the sight of her naked body next to mine: so beautiful; so powerful; so sexy; God, I am so in love with her. We fell asleep about an hour ago after two hours of intense love making. Nothing could have ever prepared me for what it feels like to be with her: the passion, the intensity, the enormity of it all.

Buffy and I spent the rest of the summer and most of September recovering, getting strong again. Both of us were pretty messed up, but between Sophia and Faith, well, they took good care of us. Nicky whipped up all of our meals and even served them to us in bed when we couldn't make it downstairs. Willow performed some healing spells while Kennedy worked out a training program to help us get our strength back.

When I finally had enough of them fawning all over me, I begged Sophia to take me away and she did. Our first stop was to Camps Bay, my little home town in Cape Town. We left for South Africa in late September so spring was just arriving there and it was beautiful. At first it was hard to go back to a place that had such a mix of warm and horrific memories. But with her by my side, we went to where my house once stood and I felt I finally closed that chapter of my life. From there we came here to Sitges, a little beach town 35 kilometers south of Barcelona. We've been spending most days at the beach soaking up the still warm Mediterranean sun then our evenings exploring the many restaurants the city has to offer. Then of course, there are the Siestas every afternoon.

She murmurs as my fingertip traces the outline of her jaw. Slowly trailing it down her chin, I linger at the hollow of her neck. Not being able to stop touching her, I allow my hand to continue its journey between her breasts, around her stomach then make a lazy circle on her hip. Amazed she's still asleep, I venture to her thigh then her hand grabs mine and the next thing I know, I'm flipped on my back with Sophia hovering over me. "Didn't mean to wake you," I grin sheepishly as I look up into her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she crocks an eyebrow at me before leaning down to brush her lips against mine.

You know that feeling, when you realize you're with the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with? Then it hits you, and you know exactly how lucky you are, not just to be with your honey, but to _know it_ when it's happening? Can I tell you I feel it in every look, every touch, and yes, every kiss? "Ok, maybe I wanted to wake you a little bit," I give her a small smirk.

"That's what I thought," she smiles as she kisses me again, her hands being to roam and I wonder if I'll ever want to go home.

Once we came down for dinner a few hours later, we made our way to a nice little place right on the promenade we found a couple of nights ago. The server immediately recognized us and gave us the same table. I guess it pays to travel during the off season.

Sophia takes care of ordering our dinner and a nice bottle of Rioja. I just sit there and watch until she cocks her head to the side once the server leaves, "What?"

"You're very sexy when you're speaking Spanish," I reach out and take her hand.

She smiles with just a hint of a blush, "I think you're just insatiable, so find just about anything sexy."

"Most things you do are sexy," I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her fingertips.

"Discúlpeme damas," the server excuses himself with a grin, as he places the wine and our appetizer on the table. Sophia waves her hand when he motions for her to taste. His smile broadens as he realizes she remembers the bottle is of the same lot as the one we ordered days before so her trust is a great reward.

We touch our glasses, "Salud," she whispers softly. We each take a sip then look out over the promenade to the beach. This is our last night here and that makes me a little sad. "You nervous?" she asks.

I snap my head back to her, "Me?" I feign shock, "Why would I be nervous going to meet your family? Isn't it every day you bring a girl home to meet the folks?"

"It's ok to be nervous you know," she places her hand over mine, "You have nothing to worry about though, you'll charm them just like Faith did. I'm sure of it."

I nod then quickly down the rest of my wine. "How is it I'm not afraid of ancient vampires but I'm scared to death of your mom?" I take in her look and cut her off before she can say it, "Don't even try it, you knew Buffy and Faith before I did."

"Yeah," she laughs, "but that first night I came to Cleveland after they knew we were serious was still kinda weird." She squeezes my hand, "Let's not forget the circumstances surrounding meeting your grandmother, huh?"

Nodding, I bit my lip, "Yeah, I guess that was freaky."

"Major freaky," she squeezes my hand again, "but she liked us together so it was worth it." She pauses for a moment, "While you were gone she gave me hope when I was just about losing it, then she brought you back to me." She waits until I look up at her, "My family is important to me too, baby, especially since I don't get to see that much of them. And I know they'll love you, so no worries, ok?" Her smile turns a smidgen wicked, "Probably not as much as I do, but…"

Returning her smile with one of my own, I take her face in my hands and lean across the table to give her a quick kiss. Yes it's going to be awkward meeting her family, but after what we went through, should be a piece of cake, right? Sitting back in my chair, but still holding her face in my hands, I gently rub my thumbs against her cheeks. I'd be a fool to think our lives won't be in danger again and an even bigger fool to think we can really have forever together. But for right now and for as long as we can, we will love each other, we will fight the evil that surrounds us and we will know what it means to be truly happy.

**BUFFY & FAITH'S ROOM – 11:28 PM**

FAITH'S POV

We took Nicky and Steve 'Trick or Treating' tonight: she was Morgaine and he was King Arthur. What a riot those two are, little Steve adores her and Nicky is completely oblivious. I told B I wanted to lay odds they'll get together at some point down the road. They're just too in synch with each other, down to their costumes. Buffy just laughs and tells me Nicky isn't allowed to date until she's 30. Yeah, right.

So on this night of Samhain, Halloween, the one night the vamps and demons take off, we are sitting in front of the fire, drinking wine, talking about things like when Nicky should be allowed to date and how to convince Sophia to come to Cleveland so Em doesn't move away from us. It's an ordinary conversation, a 'normal' one even. I guess that's why we're having such a hard time having it.

Leaning back against the chair, I pull Buffy tighter into my arms. She's sitting across my lap, one arm slung around my neck, the other helping to balance a glass of wine on her thigh. Her head rests on mine as we watch the flames lap at the logs in the grate. It's very soothing, holding her, feeling the mixture of her heat and the warmth of the fire. We've settled into the "for now" quite well, being able to really enjoy every moment since she's healed. Over the years we've come to depend on these times to get us through the hard ones that always come when we least expect it.

The fire suddenly flares up, lighting the room as if in daylight, then slowly dulls. "What the hell was - " I stop short when my eyesight once again grows accustomed to the dimness and I see the ghostly image of the Goddess begin to take shape before us, "Ereshkigal," I whisper.

"Do not fear me or my appearance this evening; I come only to ease your minds," she looks at each of us, then the fire, then back. "I don't mean to intrude."

Buffy puts her glass on the table and turns more fully to her, "Thank you for bringing my family back to me." She remains on my lap, now holding my hand, bracing herself for what ever the Goddess is going to tell us.

"It was my pleasure. And part of the reason I take advantage of the laws of time and space tonight, to speak to both of you freely, in a form known to you. I appear to you as human and of Emma's blood, no alarms will sound." She walks over to stand in front of the fire and seems to revel in its warmth.

I haven't said a word; I'm too scared of what she might say. Can it really all be over so soon? I thought we would have more time. Mindlessly tightening my hold on Buffy, I finally venture softly, "Is there a new trial already?"

"No Champion," she turns to me, takes in my shock at her choice of words then smiles, "no matter if your obligation is fulfilled, you will always be their Champion. It is meant as a title of respect, no longer as one of servitude." Facing us fully she once again takes in our faces in turn then begins: "The time for your lives to be subject to prophecy and the fates is over. You have proven yourself in more than just the trials on Nibiru. The Gods are in agreement as are the Powers that Be."

Buffy is squeezing the shit out of me hand, "How can you do that? And how long will it last? Does that mean Emma and Nicky too?" It all pretty much comes out in a stream of one big, long question.

"One path in your shared future is for us to grant this gift to you, we have chosen that path," Ereshkigal smiles then turns back to the fire. "This gift is for rest of your lives." She's silent and we wait for her to answer B's last question. "There are still paths that connect to the others; the torch must be passed to keep a light in the darkness."

I look up at Buffy and see the silent tears trailing down her face as she leans back into me. Turning to the Goddess I realize, "That's what it meant, all those years ago, right? 'The girl who could someday bring a great light to a great darkness,' Emma's meant to lead the fight after us? Then Nicky after her?"

"Yes, Champion," she smiles at me again, "except now it will be that you stepped aside, not perished in the fight yourselves." Her robes start to shimmer in the firelight, "I must go soon," she comes nearer then lays a hand on each of our faces. The vibrations of her power course through us with incredible strength. "We have taken much from both of you over the years; please let me give this to you in thanks for giving my Emma what I could not."

Both of us are speechless, but nod as she steps away from us.

"Bonus fortuna." Then she's gone.

Buffy turns and buries her face in my neck as she cries harder. "How can we just leave this mess to them? They're so young... they need more time... they should have more time..."

"Shhh babe, it's not like we're disappearing, just not going to be the headliners anymore. And damn, B, we were 22 when we defeated the First and you started the school. Emma's plenty old enough," I pull her back to face me, "and after what she pulled off in Nibiru, she's plenty capable enough too, wouldn't you say?"

She swipes at her tears, "Of course she is I just..."

"What?" I prod.

Looking down then back up at me, "I know it's completely irrational, but I never wanted this life for them although I always knew it was their destiny." She sighs then runs a hand through her hair, "I always just wanted them to get out of 'the family business.'"

"Fuck, B, you make it sound like the mob," I try to get a laugh out of her. Yeah, it's my defense mechanism; try for light when you can't handle the darkness.

She slaps my arm, "It's EXACTLY like the mob: once you're part of the 'family' you can never get out." Buffy laughs then pours us each a much needed glass of wine.

"Don't worry about them babe," I nuzzle her head after I drain my glass, "We'll be here to help them. It's not like we're walking away. We'll never be completely out of the fight." I feel her nod against me. Tightening my arms around her, I whisper, "I love you very much and I intend on showing you exactly how much for the rest of our lives."

She burrows deeper into me, "Mmmmm, I love you too, baby." She leans back to look at me, "It's weird though, after all the prophecies and all the Sumerian shit surrounding both of us, we get let off the hook. I just can't believe it."

"You don't want us to be off the hook?" I don't understand what she's getting at.

Buffy shakes her head, "No, of course I do, I mean I guess I do. I don't know anything but to fight so I don't know _how_ we're going to actually deal with that. I guess it's just eerie, you know, that sometimes even what's carved in stone for all eternity simply _isn't_."


End file.
